Extreme Floods Leave Millions Homeless in India and Bangladesh
Heavy pre-monsoon rains in India and Bangladesh wash away villages, towns, and buildings - now millions of people are homeless due to the devastating floods in South Asia
People in India and Bangladesh were already facing the troubling intense heatwave. But now deadly floods have brought extreme misery to both countries. Following extreme heatwaves since March, heavy rainfall has washed away many villages, train stations, towns, and buildings in these countries. Now millions of people are homeless and more than 60 are dead in days of thunderstorms, flooding, and landslides.
Several flood victims are now on roads without proper drinking water and food. Northeast India’s devastation due to heavy rainfall flooding submerged bridges, railway tracks, and even roads. In the state of Assam, 31 out of 33 districts were in fury due to flooding. This further affected the lives of over 700,000 people, according to the officials. At least 26 people have died in the state because of intense floods and landslides.
Image: Daily Beast
The Indian air force and the army had evacuated thousands of people in the past two weeks. Their helicopters are now delivering essential items to the flood victims that are now stuck in vulnerable spots in the badly hit Dima Hasao district. And, the Indian Space Research Organization is assessing the damage using satellites.
Besides Assam, Bihar has also faced the impact of extreme rainfall and lightning strikes. At least 33 people died in the 16 districts of Bihar, as per the chief minister Nitish Kumar.
Climate scientists mentioned that India and Bangladesh are quite vulnerable to climate change due to the warm tropical water proximity of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, which are experiencing more heated waters. Due to rising sea temperatures, there were intense dry conditions in certain parts of the Indian subcontinent. On the other hand, other parts of the country experienced heavy rainfall. These climatic changes in the Indian subcontinent are explained in detail in a study published by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
On Sunday, India’s meteorological department also sent an alert for more “thunderstorms, lightning, and very heavy rainfall” in various parts of northeast India’s remote regions where the Brahmaputra inundated large agricultural lands, towns, and villages in recent weeks.
Image: New York Times
The Brahmaputra’s and other rivers’ floodwaters have also caused fury in Bangladesh. This low-lying nation of around 170 million people also experienced extreme rainfall and landslides. The flash flooding affected majorly the Bangladeshi districts of Sylhet and Sunamganj that border northeast India.
According to Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, executive engineer of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center in Dhaka, at least three rivers were flowing above danger levels and led to such devastation.
Bangladeshi media reports that floods damaged crops severely and marooned hundreds of villages. People are lacking proper drinking water due to extreme damage to water supply systems as well. However, no casualties have been reported in this nation so far. But hundreds of villages remain cut off from roads and electricity.
Via: Daily Beast
