13 Dead, 4.5 Million Affected: Eastern Bangladesh Faces Devastating Floods

Flooding across 12 districts in Bangladesh has impacted over 4.5 million people, adding to the strain on the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is facing numerous political and economic challenges.

The affected districts include Cumilla, Noakhali, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Sylhet, and Habiganj. According to Kamrul Hasan, secretary of the disaster management and relief ministry, the floods have resulted in at least 13 fatalities and left nearly 800,000 people homeless.

The latest update from Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre indicates that five rivers in eastern Bangladesh are flowing above dangerous levels. Additionally, data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reveals that 14% of mobile towers in the flood-affected areas are non-operational.

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Relief efforts are underway with the involvement of the Bangladesh army, navy, coast guard, border guards, fire service, police, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and various NGOs. The interim government has initiated a fundraising drive to aid flood victims, with the Bangladesh Army contributing an amount equivalent to one day’s salary from all personnel.

Liakath Ali, director of the disaster risk management programme at Brac, noted, “We are now providing dry food, drinking water, and toilet facilities at shelter centers in flood-affected areas.”

The disaster management ministry has established a control room to offer support and information. Kamrul Hasan reported that 188,739 people have been evacuated from flood-affected regions, with the government distributing cash, rice, and dry food items to those in need.

Mashfiqus Salehin, a professor at the Institute of Water and Flood Management at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), explained that the eastern region, particularly Feni district, had not experienced such severe flooding in recent years. Salehin suggested that updating flood warning and rain forecasting systems could help minimize damage and proposed that Bangladesh and India consider setting up an integrated warning system due to their shared river systems.

On Thursday, Yunus proposed a high-level collaboration with India during a meeting with the Indian envoy to address flood management, given the shared rivers and catchment areas between the two countries.

Sarder Udoy Raihan, chief of Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, reported that floodwaters have begun to recede in most areas as rainfall has decreased in upstream regions. He anticipates that the water levels will continue to decline over the next two days and fall below danger levels in most areas.

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