Catastrophic floods leave devastating effects on over half a million people in Bangladesh and the northeastern region of India.
Over 300,000 individuals in southeastern Bangladesh have been affected by flooding, submerging numerous houses underwater, leaving folks stranded on rooftops as per a local representative who spoke to CNN on Thursday.
In India, at least eight lives have been claimed by landslides and drowning, and many thousands have sought refuge in relief centers, reported disaster management authorities.
Extreme flooding and landslides have claimed hundreds of lives, displaced millions, and wrecked infrastructure all over South Asia lately. Despite the fact that floods are common in the region during monsoon season, scientists blame the human-induced climate crisis for intensifying extreme weather events and making them deadlier.
Portions of India's northeastern border state of Tripura and districts in eastern Bangladesh have recorded heavy rainfall of up to approximately 8 inches (nearly 200 millimeters) in recent days, which has caused treacherous floodwaters to surge.
As of Thursday, Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre reported that 11 rivers in the area had water levels exceeding the "danger level."
In the heavily impacted Feni district of Chattogram, a city located in southeast Bangladesh, rescue operations are ongoing to save people trapped in waterlogged homes and to accommodate the displaced.
Army and navy personnel are assisting in the evacuation of people by boat working alongside volunteers, stated Musammat Shahina Akter, a prominent official in Feni.
Government buildings and high schools have been transformed into shelters, and more than 25,000 individuals are taking refuge in relief camps, Akter stated.
“We don’t anticipate individuals will be able to return home anytime soon,” he said, adding that the rain is subsiding but water levels can only decrease after the rainfall stops.
Kazi Piash, a 24-year-old resident of Feni, stated he took shelter on his rooftop once the floods reached his neck.
“We constructed a makeshift tent on the roof with tarpaulin but there’s about 40 of us on the rooftops of two one-story homes,” Piash stated, adding that the group included his pregnant sister-in-law.
“We have been on the roof for hours, my body is shivering, our phones also won’t have a battery for long, so we need assistance quickly,” he stated.
Videos showed residents paddling in canoes and swimming with their belongings through muddy streams, as floodwaters reached the roofs of homes.
Meanwhile, India dismissed allegations circulating on social media that the flooding was due to the forced opening of a dam on the Gomati River, which flows through Tripura and enters Bangladesh through the district of Comilla.
According to Tripura’s Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath, the dam was designed so that excess water escapes automatically once the water level reaches a certain point.
“No gate has been opened for the Gomati Hydro Electric Project,” Nath stated on Wednesday, adding that the storage capacity of the reservoir is up to 94 meters (308 feet).
More rain is expected across Tripura and eastern Bangladesh, with forecasts of 2 to 6 inches (50 mm to 150 mm) of rain over the next three days.
The world has been witnessing an increase in extreme weather events, with South Asia being heavily affected recently. In addition to the floods in southeastern Bangladesh, India has also been impacted by landslides and drowning, resulting in several casualties.
