Deadly Floods in Bangladesh and India Leave Millions Displaced and Over 100 People Killed with Homes and Crops Destroyed

 Deadly Floods in Bangladesh and India Leave Millions Displaced and Over 100 People Killed with Homes and Crops Destroyed:

As Bangladesh floods recede, fears of waterborne diseases The possibility of an epidemic increases with authorities racing to get drinking water to people stranded in their homes in over a dozen districts. 

 Bangladeshi and Indian floods kill over 100; millions in need of aid.

 “With the floodwaters receding, there is a possibility of an epidemic. We fear the outbreak of waterborne diseases if clean water is not ensured soon,” Atiqul Haque, director general of Bangladesh’s Department of Disaster Management, said. “Ensuring availability of drinking water is our top priority.” More than 3,400 people have been infected by various waterborne diseases due to the floods since June 18, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said on Wednesday. 

 More than 4.5 million people have been stranded. This is the nation Bangladesh's worst flooding in more than 100 years. 

 “The UN’s children agency warns four million people, including 1.6 million children, in northeast Bangladesh have been cut off by floods and are without fresh drinking water, putting them at risk of waterborne diseases,” he said. Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Sylhet division’s chief administrator, said 365 medical teams were trying to reach flood-affected areas to provide tablets to purify water for drinking. “We are making frantic efforts to ensure there is food and drinking water for all the affected people,” said Atiqul Haque. 

 The floods have damaged 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) of paddy and 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) of other crops, agriculture ministry official Huayun Kabir said. The monsoon brings heavy rain and floods to South Asia between June and October, especially in low-lying countries like Bangladesh, where rivers swollen with waters pouring out of the Himalayas often burst their banks. But extreme weather has become more frequent and environmentalists warn that climate change could lead to more serious disasters. people affected by floods in the border region with India.
Several districts on the border with the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya have been hit. Homes and crops suffer damages. Food and drinking water are in short supply. Schools and educational facilities run by religious have been hit just a few days before secondary school exams. The government is sending aid; Caritas Bangladesh is also active.

 The districts concerned are Sunamganj, Sylhet, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamary and Sirajgonj.
The Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya were also affected. Other waterways have reached guard levels, most notably the Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Surma and Sarigowain.
As a result of the flooding, roads have become submerged disrupting traffic. Boats have become the only means of transport in flooded areas.
Crops and homes have suffered damages with many farm animals dying.
People are hard-pressed to find food and drinking water, said Rupok Dhor, a resident of the Kompaniganj sub-district, in the Sylhet area.
In several places, the government has been unable to deliver aid, a situation compounded by the fact that this is the second time in a year that the affected districts have faced flooding.
Non-governmental organisations are also taking action to bring aid, including Caritas Bangladesh.

Sources: Asia News IT and Aljazeera