India and Bangladesh Floods Strand Hundreds of Thousands
At least 15 people have perished in the ongoing monsoon flooding in both countries as the water levels continue to rise.
Officials reported that floods have left hundreds of thousands stranded in northeast India and eastern Bangladesh.
Since Wednesday, at least 11 individuals lost their lives and thousands were displaced in Tripura state, India, due to floods and mudslides, with four more casualties reported in Bangladesh.
These two South Asian countries share common rivers along their border.
The Meteorological Department of India issued a red alert in Tripura on Wednesday, leading local authorities to close schools for two days after heavy rainfall inundated various regions, including the state capital of Agartala.
Currently, there are over 300 relief camps providing shelter to thousands of displaced individuals.
Out of the 11 fatalities in India since the intensified rains on Monday, seven drowned or got swept away, while the remaining four were buried under mudslides.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and focusing on providing relief to those displaced from their homes,” stated Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha.
As per the same source, three others lost their lives due to drowning or electrocution.
In the severely affected districts like Cumilla, Feni, and Noakhali, residents are seeking rescue as they face power outages and impassable roads.
With travel and communication disrupted between the southeastern port city of Chattogram and the capital, Dhaka, due to submerged areas of a major highway.
Rescue Attempts
The Bangladesh Flood Forecasting and Warning Center reported on Thursday that water levels are still on the rise in many rivers across the nation’s eastern, northeastern, and southeastern regions.
Despite about a dozen volunteers using boats and speedboats to reach affected individuals, communication failures prevented them from reaching victims since their mobile numbers were unreachable.
The government highlighted numerous areas without electricity.
Desperate for aid, Sonia Akter, a mother of a 2-year-old girl, communicated from Feni that they were on the rooftop with elderly family members and small kids amidst rising water levels, urging for assistance.
Mohammad Masum, a Feni district resident, told Reuters, “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.”
People ride on the back of a vehicle as they navigate a flooded street following incessant rains in Feni, a coastal district in southeast Bangladesh bordering the Indian Tripura state, on Aug. 22, 2024. AP Photo
Bangladesh residents were observed evacuating with their possessions by boat and other makeshift means of transport due to knee-deep water in their residences.
Military and other authorities have initiated rescue operations in the region.
While both India and Bangladesh are grappling with floods, many in Bangladesh attribute the flash floods to their larger neighbor, alleging that India opened a river dam in Tripura, causing sudden floods across the border.
In response to these claims, India’s Ministry of External Affairs refuted the allegations in a statement.
“The catchment areas of the Gumti River flowing through India and Bangladesh have experienced the heaviest rainfall of this year in recent days,” stated the ministry. “The flooding in Bangladesh primarily results from water from these extensive catchments downstream of the dam.”
Monsoon rains typically commence in June in the subcontinent nations of India and Bangladesh, with the two countries sharing 54 rivers originating from the Himalayas and flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
An analysis from the World Bank Institute in 2015 approximated that around 3.5 million individuals in Bangladesh are at risk of annual river flooding.
