Millions stranded as heavy flooding sweeps through Bangladesh and India

Millions are stranded and displaced as authorities struggle to send aid to areas hit by the worst floods in decades in Bangladesh and India. Dozens have been killed and many are without drinking water.

The flooding, caused by the annual monsoon, also brought deadly lightening and landslides.

“The situation is still alarming,” said Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, the chief administrator of Sylhet, a city in northeastern Bangladesh, now largely underwater.

In South Asia, seasonal monsoons play an essential role in shaping agriculture and other aspects of life. But erratic rainstorms could destroy crops and worsen hunger. Climate change is making the situation more dire as monsoons intensify. A 2021 study found monsoon rainfall will probably increase by about 5 percent for every 1-degree Celsius rise in temperature.

According to Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, rainwater from the latest storm has risen above the danger lines in two of Bangladesh’s four major river basins as heavy rain continues.

Mawsynram in the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya — also known as the wettest place on earth — set a new June rainfall record with over 39 inches falling in 24 hours Friday. The last time the town recorded such heavy rainfall was in 1966. The neighboring state of Assam is also dealing with destructive floods with most of its districts underwater after the overflowing Brahmaputra River submerged nearby villages.

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Credits

Jason Samenow contributed to this report. Editing by Olivier Laurent, Jason Aldag and Reem Akkad.