Seasonal Floods Has Affected Millions of People in Bangladesh and India

Flooding has affected four million people in northeastern Bangladesh, according to Dr. Enamur Rahman, the country's State Minister for Disaster Management.

With significant rain expected in the next 24 hours, the situation might quickly deteriorate.

On Sunday, Rahman informed CNN that at least two people have died in Bangladesh due to floods.

According to news accounts, the death toll is substantially higher, with Reuters citing local officials as estimating 25 dead over the weekend.

A massive flood in Bangladesh and India

(Photo : MD ABU SUFIAN JEWEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Lack of cellular services has made it impossible to adequately estimate the extent of the devastation, especially in Sylhet and Sunamganj, Rahman added, as per MSN.

He stated that 90% of Sunamganj's district is under water, and the district is nearly completely shut off from the rest of the country.

According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), about six million people have been displaced as a result of the floods.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society said on Twitter late Saturday that it will assist with resettlement efforts and will "give monetary support to flood-affected households."

Meanwhile, the flooding has affected the eastern Indian state of Assam, which borders Bangladesh.

According to a statement made on Sunday by the Assam Disaster Management Authority, at least eight persons have died there in the previous 24 hours.

Since April, floods, and landslides have killed at least 62 people in Assam, according to the agency.

Read more: North American Monsoon Eases Drought but Floods Southwest Areas

Police staff has been deployed for search and rescue

Thousands of police officers and army soldiers have been dispatched to various regions of the nation to assist with search and rescue operations, as per Reuters.

So far, over 105,000 people have been evacuated, but police officers believe that over four million people remain stuck.

Former congressman and governing party leader in Sunamganj district Syed Rafiqul Haque claimed the nation would face a humanitarian disaster if effective rescue efforts were not carried out.

Almost the whole Sylhet-Sunamganj region is flooded, stranding millions of people. Victims also lack food, drinking water, and communication networks.

About 3.1 million people have been displaced, according to regional officials, with 200,000 of them residing in government-run improvised shelters on elevated embankments or other hills.

In recent years, Bangladesh and India have witnessed an increase in harsh weather, inflicting widespread devastation.

Environmentalists fear that climate change would exacerbate disasters, particularly in Bangladesh's low-lying and highly populated areas.

Flood records are being broken

The recent flooding, according to Jahangir Hossain, deputy commissioner of Sunamganj district, has buried a huge portion of the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway, hampering relief and rescue efforts.

"The flood intensity in my district has broken all previous records," he claimed. "The rest of the nation is effectively shut off from Sunamganj."

Water levels in the Sunamganj region's major Surma River were 120 centimeters over the danger line on Friday, according to the flood warning center.

Sirajul Islam, the head of a trade organization in Sunamganj town, the provincial seat, described the floods as the worst he'd seen in 20 years.

According to the flood warning center in Sylhet, the Surma River was running 70 cm over the danger threshold on Friday.

A major portion of Sylhet city, the administrative capital, was flooded, with at least ten neighborhoods submerged.

Pradip Chandra Das, 47, of Sylhet city, said floodwaters have been flooding his home since Thursday morning.

Related article: Heavy Rain and Massive Flooding Affects over 20,000 Homes in Southern Thailand