Published 09:24 IST, July 23rd 2020
Bangladesh is facing longest floods since 1988: UN agency
Reportedly, almost one-third of the country is submerged under water. FFWC said in a state bulletin that water has risen to dangerous level at 73 points.
In what may be called the longest floods since 1988, almost one-third of Bangladesh is feared to have been submerged underwater as the raging rivers and torrential rains continue to wreak havoc in the country, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. Reports claim that at least 81 people have died in Bangladesh due to floods that have been wreaking havoc for weeks as officials warn of the “extended disaster”, according to reports.
Flood Forecast and Warning Centre (FFWC), in a state bulletin, said that the water has risen to dangerous levels at 73 points. It added that across the four major river basins in the country, the water rose to "above danger levels". Moreover, flowing beyond the 100-centimeter danger mark, river Dhaleswari at Elasin and Padma at Golaundo posed threats of excessive flooding, it added.
Brahmaputra river at 40cm (15.7 inches) is threatening to burst its banks— district administrator Farook Ahmed told a news agency.
A top government health official in Bangladesh said at a press conference that total fatalities since the flooding started on June 30 are now up to 62 as seven more deaths were reported this week. Further, he said that at least 51 people drowned in the turbulent waters, and as many as three were struck by thunder and lightning. Additionally, three were injured with the snake bites and had succumbed to the injury in the worst-hit northern regions.
This is going to be the worst flood in a decade—Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre chief Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan said, as per a news agency report.
Two challenges here: one is COVID-19 and another is flood—Head of local rescue team, Abhijeet Kumar Verma said, in an agency report.
The government focused on "relief measures"
Country’s disaster management and relief minister, Enamur Rahman was quoted as saying by a news agency that as many as 20,000 people had to evacuate or vacate homes due to havoc by the raging streams, and nearly 2.25 million were estimated to have been impacted in some way or the other. Bangladesh’s flood monitoring cell head, Shah Muhammad Nasim, reportedly said that the government was monitoring the situation and making all efforts to provide relief measures and take immediate steps to mitigate the damage. In the past 24 hours, heavy rainfall was recorded in Sunamganj, Dhaka, Jamalpur, Bhagyakul, Lorergarh, Moheshkhola, Comilla, Cox’s Bazar, and several others. Bangladesh has over 230 rivers flowing in its territory, including 53 that it shares with Indian territory.
(Image Credit: Twitter/@UNICEFBD)
(With Agency Inputs)
Updated 09:24 IST, July 23rd 2020