By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) -At the least 20 folks have died and greater than 5.2 million have been affected in Bangladesh by floods attributable to relentless monsoon rains and overflowing rivers, officers stated on Sunday.
The floodwaters have left many individuals remoted and in pressing want of meals, clear water, drugs, and dry garments, significantly in distant areas the place blocked roads have hampered rescue and reduction efforts.
Authorities Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus stated in a televised handle that the administration has adopted all needed measures to make sure a swift return to normality for flood victims.
Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is main the interim authorities that was sworn in after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the nation following a student-led rebellion this month.
Abdul Halim, a 65-year-old farmer from a village within the Comilla district, stated his mud hut was swept away by a 10-foot-high surge of floodwater in the midst of the evening.
“There are no goods and no water. Barely anyone has come with the relief (aid) deep inside the villages. You have to physically go close to the main road to collect it,” he informed Reuters tv.
Some folks in Bangladesh have alleged that the floods had been attributable to the opening of dam sluice gates in neighbouring India, an assertion New Delhi has rejected.
“We have begun discussions with neighbouring countries to prevent future flood situations,” Yunus stated.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Division has warned that flood circumstances might persist if the monsoon rains proceed, as water ranges are receding very slowly.
Greater than 400,000 folks have taken refuge in round 3,500 shelters within the 11 flood-hit districts, the place practically 750 medical groups are on the bottom to supply therapy, with the military, air pressure, navy, and Border Guard Bangladesh helping in rescue operations, authorities stated.
An evaluation in 2015 by the World Financial institution Institute estimated that 3.5 million folks in Bangladesh, one of many world’s most climate-vulnerable international locations, had been susceptible to annual river flooding. Scientists attribute the exacerbation of such catastrophic occasions to local weather change.
“The impact of this year’s monsoon rains has been widespread and devastating,” stated Kabita Bose, Nation Director of Plan Worldwide Bangladesh.
“Entire communities have been completely inundated, and there are now millions of people, including children, in need of safe shelter and lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” she stated.
