ISLAMABAD, June 21 ( Alliance News): Authorities say 9.5 million people have been trapped in rains and floods in Bangladesh and northeastern India, and rescue operations are under way.
According to foreign media report, the low-lying areas of Bangladesh are facing the worst flood situation due to the monsoon rains. Such scenes were seen a century ago.
At least 69 people have been killed in the Indian state of Assam in just two weeks.
Abu Bakar, 26, a resident of Bangladesh’s northeastern district of Sanamganj, told Reuters that “citizens do not even have food or drinking water. All tube wells have been submerged in the floodwaters.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid has said that a large part of the aerial tour of the flood-hit areas has been submerged in muddy water. Television footage shows that seasonal crops have been uprooted.
In South Asia, heavy monsoon rains during June and October cause flooding, especially in low-lying areas such as Bangladesh, where rivers overflow from the Himalayas.
South Asia is experiencing rapid climate change, with environmentalists warning that climate change could lead to more serious natural disasters.
Atiqul Haq, director general of Bangladesh Disaster Management, said the northern and central districts of the country were affected by the floods.
Atiq-ul-Haq said that the administration along with Army, Navy, Police, Fire Emergency Services personnel and volunteers are engaged in the rescue operation.
Read more: Floods wreak havoc in Bangladesh and India
The Sylhet area, including Sanamganj, has been inundated by severe weather for more than a century, and the United Nations Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says 90 percent of healthcare facilities have been completely submerged. While water-borne diseases are on the rise.
UNICEF says it is requesting 25 2.5 million to address the situation in Bangladesh and is working with the government to provide water purification tablets, emergency medical facilities and water containers. ۔
A statement issued by UNICEF said that “4 million people, including 1.6 million children, are trapped in flood waters in northeastern Bangladesh and are in urgent need of assistance.”
Television footage shows the Bangladeshi army dropping equipment from helicopters to help civilians, with civilians waiting on rooftops for help.
Read more: One third of Bangladesh flooded due to monsoon rains
Former lawmaker and ruling party leader Syed Rafiqul Haq says flood shelters in Sanamganj district are full of people.
“Many citizens have not been able to get food and water so far. The cries of those calling for help are getting louder,” he said.
Catastrophic conditions
Authorities and residents, meanwhile, were cut off from floodwaters in three districts of the Barak Valley in the Indian state of Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told Reuters that “the situation is very serious.”
“We will try to evacuate people from Salchar and the other two districts immediately,” he said.
Read more: Lightning strikes at wedding party in Bangladesh kills 17
Officials say Indian Army and paramilitary forces have been called in to help civilians, and about 1,000 people have been rescued.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the neighboring state of Meghalaya in Assam has received 134% more rainfall this year.
The government says about 47,000 people have been displaced and 330,000 have been relocated to shelter homes.
“I am 80 years old and I have never seen such a thing in my life,” said a retired Selchar government official.