Bangladesh floods maroon nearly three million people, kill two
By Ruma Paul
DHAKA, Aug 22 (Reuters) -Relentless monsoon rains and flooding have stranded nearly three million people in Bangladesh and killed two, submerging vast areas and damaging homes and infrastructure, officials from the country's disaster management ministry said on Thursday.
Reuters TV showed Bangladesh residents evacuating with their belongings by boat and other makeshift transportation as knee-deep water entered their homes.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has warned that with the rains continuing, water levels could rise further over the next 24 hours, raising concern about additional flooding and displacement.
Road connectivity in several regions were severed, isolating communities and hampering relief efforts, disaster management and relief officials said.
The most affected districts in Bangladesh included Feni, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Comilla and Chittagong, where five major rivers were flowing above danger levels, the FFWC said.
"I haven't seen so much water in the last 20 years. Everything in my house is wrecked because the water has risen to waist level," said Mohammad Masum, a resident of Feni district.
An analysis in 2015 by the World Bank Institute estimated that 3.5 million people in Bangladesh, one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, were at risk of annual river flooding. Scientists attribute the exacerbation of such catastrophic events to climate change.
Late on Wednesday, students in Dhaka held protest rallies, alleging that the floods were caused by the opening of dam sluice gates in neighbouring India.
India's foreign ministry said it was "not correct" that the floods were caused by water released from the Dumbur dam on the Gumti River in the northeastern state of Tripura.
"We would like to point out that the catchment areas of Gumti River that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed the heaviest rains of this year over the last few days," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"The flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam."
In Tripura, 12 people have died due to landslides and floods triggered by the incessant rain of the past three days, Suman Deb, a Indian disaster management official, told Reuters.
"The impact has been devastating and rescue operations are ongoing," Deb said.
India's interior minister, Amit Shah, said in a post on X that the federal government has rushed disaster management teams, apart from boats and helicopters, to Tripura to assist the state government in relief and rescue operations.
"Floods on the common rivers between India and Bangladesh are a shared problem inflicting sufferings to people on both sides, and requires close mutual cooperation towards resolving them," India's foreign ministry said.
Reporting by Ruma Paul; Additional reporting by Tora Agarwala in Guwahati; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Tom Hogue
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.
