Bangladesh's worst floods in decades leave 5 mn stranded in low-lying areas

By Arun Devnath

About five million people in Bangladesh were stranded by floods in low-lying areas, as strong currents washed away river embankments.

The death toll rose to 15 as at least five rivers in the South Asian nation faced the severest flooding since 2018, according to government data. Eleven districts were affected.

The devastating floods are the latest setback for the country of 170 million people, recently besieged with deadly political protests and violence. An interim government led by Nobel prize winner Muhammad Yunus took over after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country earlier this month amid a student-led mass uprising.

“These are the worst floods we have seen in three decades,” Liakath Ali, director of climate change at non-governmental organization BRAC, said in a statement. “There are people stranded across the country, and we are expecting the situation to worsen in many places as rains continue.”

The government is rushing food and emergency medical supplies to the people marooned in the flooded areas. Authorities opened 3,176 shelters for flood victims and deployed 639 medical teams.

Breakdowns in telecommunications, interruptions to transport, and flooded roads and highways are complicating rescue efforts, according to BRAC.

“People had no time to save anything,” Ali said. “Entire villages, all of the families who lived in them, and everything they owned – homes, livestock, farmlands, fisheries – have been washed away.”