Much of the northeastern city of Sylhet has been submerged in the second wave of floods to hit the area in less than a month, Bangladesh state media reported on June 22.
A mother holds her son in front of her flooded house in Sylhet, Bangladesh, June 20. Photo: Drik
According to local media, the widespread flooding was caused by continuous torrential rains and water overflowing from mountainous areas upstream of the border with India, causing four rivers to rise beyond their danger levels. People trapped by the floodwaters are now facing food shortages and a lack of clean water.
About 964,000 people in Sylhet and 792,000 in Sunamganj have been affected by the floods. The government said it has set up more than 6,000 shelters to help those displaced.
Among them, 772,000 children are in urgent need of assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on June 21. The agency said more than 800 schools had been flooded and another 500 were being used as flood shelters.
The international development agency BRAC said it was helping provide emergency food and medical assistance to hundreds of families in Sylhet and Sunamganj. The agency said about 2.25 million people had been affected by the flash floods, with 12,000 people in the area without electricity.
Floods in Bangladesh are “becoming more dangerous” with “massive losses to livelihoods, biodiversity and infrastructure – as well as disruptions to schools and health services,” said Khondoker Golam Tawhid, head of BRAC’s Disaster Risk Management Programme.
Meanwhile, fish farmers faced significant losses as floodwaters washed away thousands of farms and ponds, with local media reporting economic losses of more than $11.4 million.
The latest heavy rains and flooding come as the region has barely recovered from widespread flooding in late May caused by Tropical Cyclone Remal, which hit not only Bangladesh but also southern India, affecting some 5 million people.
Studies show that the South Asian nation is one of the most vulnerable in the world to the impacts of the man-made climate crisis. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe due to the climate crisis, the humanitarian and economic impacts on Bangladesh will continue to worsen.
According to the World Bank, by 2050, 13 million people in Bangladesh could become climate-displaced, and severe flooding could cause GDP to fall by up to 9%.
Ngoc Anh (according to CNN, BBS)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/gan-2-trieu-nguoi-mac-ket-do-mua-lu-nghiem-trong-o-bangladesh-post300456.html
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