Numerous individuals within the country are left stranded due to flooding. Several individuals place the blame on their adjacent area.
Venturing into Feni, a city in southeast Bangladesh, it becomes evident why it's nicknamed the ground zero of one of the nation's most devastating floods in living history. Since last Wednesday night, floodwaters have engulfed 11 districts, leaving substantial portions of the nearly 1.5 million-populated city underwater.
Bangladesh is synonymous with its rivers and waterways, with its inhabitants depending on these water sources for fishing and rice cultivation. Despite being familiar with frequent flooding and cyclones, especially in recent years due to human-induced climate change intensifying extreme weather events, this flood took the locals unawares.
The finger of blame is pointed at Indian officials.
Residents from the 1.5 million-populous Feni city in Bangladesh blame India for the recent floods. Many individuals we spoke with in Feni, just a few miles from the border, accused India of releasing water from the Dumbur dam in adjacent Tripura state without due notice.
As we navigated past their homes, some residents shouted, "We detest India" and "This is Indian water."
"They opened the gates, but no communication was sent," stated Shoriful Islam, a 29-year-old IT worker who returned to his hometown from Dhaka to assist in relief efforts.
India dismissed the dam release intentionally and attributed excessive rainfall as a contributing factor. However, they conceded to a power outage and communication breakdown that prevented them from issuing the usual downstream warning to neighbors.
"India used water as a weapon," Islam argued. "India is seeking revenge for bringing down the last government."
“I fear they might not be alive”
CNN accompanied two relief supply distribution missions and rescue operations in Feni managed by volunteers.
The only way to enter or exit the flood-hit area is by boat, as all major roads are inaccessible due to vehicular restrictions, and rescue operations are delayed by the power outage and almost complete communication blackout in the city.
The military and navy have mobilized to coordinate relief efforts, and a nationwide effort to provide aid and assistance has sprung up in the past few days, with people traveling from Dhaka and other regions to help with rescue operations and aid delivery.
Some of the volunteers are also returning to their hometowns to locate their loved ones.
Volunteer Abdus Salam, a 35-year-old English teacher from Dhaka, shared that 12 family members are stranded in a rural area 15 miles (25 kilometers) from Feni's center, including his two sisters, brother, and their children.
“I fear they might not be alive,” he told CNN, expressing his concern.
“There's no electricity, no gas, no internet,” he added, urging worldwide assistance.
Over 4.5 million people have been affected by the floods in Bangladesh, with at least 18 casualties thus far. However, there are concerns that the death toll may escalate as the floodwaters subside.
In adjacent India, authorities report at least 26 fatalities, and over 64,000 individuals have taken refuge in shelters in the Tripura region.
Anything but an ordinary flood
The anger of flood victims in Bangladesh is mounting over the origins of the water that drowned their homes.
India's high commissioner in Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, informed Bangladesh's interim government of an "automatic release" from the dam due to high water levels, according to Bangladesh's interim government's press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.
Yet, others believe politics played a role.
"India displayed inhumane behavior by releasing the dam without prior notification," said Nahid Islam, one of Bangladesh's two student representatives in its interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Three weeks ago, Bangladesh ousted its long-standing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a student-led protest movement against job quotas. The movement evolved into a nationwide movement urging her resignation when she ordered a brutal crackdown, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people.
Hasina sought refuge in India by helicopter on August 5 after tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the capital and her residence. During her 15 years in power, Hasina cultivated strong ties with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is serving his third term.
Following her ouster, allegations surfaced of reprisals against those regarded as loyal to Hasina's party – many of whom were Hindus – sparking significant concern in neighboring Hindu-majority India.
India's Ministry of External Affairs stated in a Thursday statement that it was "factually incorrect" to blame the flooding on water released from the Dumbur dam.
It claimed that flooding in Bangladesh was predominantly due to water flowing from vast catchment areas on the Gumti River, downstream from the dam.
“Floods on shared rivers between India and Bangladesh impact people on both sides and require bilateral cooperation to address,” the statement added.
“They are exceedingly afraid”
As diplomatic tensions escalate, rescue teams are working tirelessly in the flood-hit area, where every rescue operation presents a herculean challenge.
What would typically be a four-hour journey from Dhaka becomes an eight-hour ordeal due to gridlocked roads as rescue workers and volunteers from across the country try to reach the flood-stricken region. Boats are scarce, resulting in many families arriving to retrieve their relatives but then having no means to approach them.
“I'm powerless because I don't have a boat,” expressed Yasin Arafat, a 24-year-old who traveled from Dhaka to locate his father, mother, grandmother, and younger brother.
There's news about 35 families huddled on a rooftop in his village, with two expectant mothers among them. The problem is, it's a three-hour voyage by boat from the city, and he's having a hard time finding a rescue craft to take him there.
"They've got no water, no food, and they're pretty scared," he said. "I haven't heard anything from them in the last 48 hours."
Even when folks manage to secure a boat, there are parts of the city that are at higher elevations – like the railway track – where volunteers have to carry the vessels manually.
The main road through Feni is now its own waterway – and it's being used as the primary escape route to dry land.
Some folks able to walk out are wading through thigh- or chest-deep muddy water – facing the risks of waterborne diseases, snakes, or drowning – just to reach safety.
For other folks stuck in the deepest parts of the flood, wading isn't an option – so they're trapped in villages miles away from the city center. The boat journey to these areas is risky, too – navigating through dense trees and marshes could cause the engine to clog or collide with hidden underwater obstacles.
Our boat passes by a government building being used as a rescue center, with around 500 people seeking refuge inside.
Other multi-story buildings – like a flooded hospital and several schools – are being used as temporary shelters for those living in low-rise homes that are now submerged. They're physically safe but running low on food, water, and medicine.
Peyara Akther, 36, is on a mission to rescue her sister Tanzina and her ailing newborn baby from the rural outskirts of the city. She said the baby hasn't eaten in days and needs medical attention.
"I'm worried the baby won't make it," Akther told CNN.
But after searching for an hour to find her sister at the school she believes she's sheltered at, there's no sign of them – the communication blackout just making the rescue operations even more challenging.
Akther heads home, hoping her sister has found another way there.
We hop on a different boat to witness the next rescue operation.
A man from Feni, now working as a security guard in Qatar, flew back home when he heard about the flooding in his town. He managed to get a boat to rescue his 55-year-old mother, but her location is too remote to reach. Instead, he came to the shelter to retrieve other relatives.
The boat carries a family of four: a mother, a child, and two grandparents. They stumble into the boat, helped by those onboard – all exhausted and clearly hungry, snacking on nuts and dried fruit, and drinking water.
"We're happy now," said grandfather Mizanur Rahman Khan, 65. "We're safe."
As the evening darkness sets in, rescue efforts continue into the night – with the hope that the stranded people will survive until aid arrives or the floodwaters start to recede.
CNN’s Esha Mitra contributed reporting from New Delhi.
The floodwaters in Bangladesh have affected more than 4.5 million people, making it a significant issue not just for the country but also for the entire world.
The floods in Bangladesh are causing concerns beyond its borders, as at least 26 fatalities have been reported in adjacent India.
[In this context, 'Asia' and 'world' refer to the broader geographical or global context in which the floods in Bangladesh and India are significant events.]
