Floods In India And Bangladesh Displaced Million, Killed Dozens
Floods In India And Bangladesh Displaced Million, Killed Dozens: Flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains in South Asia have killed dozens of people and displaced more than a million, most in northeast India and Bangladesh.
The Brahmaputra river, which flows from the Himalayas down to India and then through Bangladesh, has burst its banks, swamping more than 1,500 villages in India’s Assam state in the past week.
“The flood situation remains critical,” Assam’s Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta told Reuters, referring to at least 10 of the state’s 32 districts. “The weather office is forecasting more rain and thundershowers in the next 48 hours,” Mahanta said, adding that the state was on maximum alert and the army had put helicopters on standby, in case they were needed for rescues. The floods have killed nearly 20 people and displaced about 800,000 in the Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Manipur.
Since 12 August 2017, heavy monsoon rains above the seasonal average severely impacted the riverine region of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
This resulted in intense flooding in almost two-thirds of Bangladesh, affecting over 8 million people. Bangladesh experienced floods for the fourth time in 2017 and the latest flood had inundated the country.
As of 12 September, the Government of Bangladesh reported that the floodwaters had receded in 28 of the 322 flood affected districts.
Based on the recent FACT assessment and external reports, urgent needs for additional emergency shelter, non-food items (NFIs) and other assistance were identified in districts most heavily affected.
Due to the proactivity of the Government of Bangladesh, there was no substantial spike in waterborne diseases, but the risks remain. The affected areas are known for harvesting crops such as paddy (summer rice), jute (vegetable fibre), dhaincha (multipurpose legume), and vegetables. Most of the crops have been severely damaged.
According to the Government reports, over 650,000 hectares crops lands in 32 districts have suffered some scale of damage. Damaged roads and infrastructure affected many people including farmers, fishermen, and char (island) dwellers.
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