The current spate of flash floods has affected an estimated 4.3 million people with 94% of Sunamganj and over 84% of Sylhet having been submerged, a United Nations flood situation report on Bangladesh states.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) on Tuesday gave an updated crop loss assessment, which shows that Aus paddy on 56,000 hectares of land has been damaged.
This is over 5% of the total Aus acreage (1.1 million hectares) in the country so far.
Furthermore, floodwaters also inundated an estimated 10,000 hectares of vegetables, oil seeds and other crops.
According to the latest flood situation report posted by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), heavy monsoon rains and water from upstream in India's northeast have inundated large parts of the Sylhet division, leaving millions of people marooned and triggering a humanitarian crisis.
The flash floods swept away homes and inundated farmland with water, forcing families to seek shelter on higher ground and at temporary flood shelters, while power cuts made life miserable, the report notes.
Quoting Bangladesh’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), the UN OCHA said around 94% of Sunamganj and over 84% of Sylhet has been submerged. Besides, 45% of Habiganj, 28% of Kishoreganj, 27% of Netrakona, 18% of Moulvibazar, and 16% of Brahmanbaria have gone under floodwater.
The UN said experts consider the ongoing floods worse than the ones experienced in 1998 and 2004.
The crisis struck at a time when the people of Sylhet division were already recovering from unexpected recent floods that hit in late May.
“An estimated 4.3 million people have been impacted by this sudden flash flood and water congestion in seven northeastern districts of Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulivazar, Habiganj, Netrakona, and Brahmanbaria,” the report reads.
“Many households are isolated due to floods, while some have taken shelter in open areas. The safety and security of women and girls in those households are at high risk.”
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 25,000 people have been taken to around 450 shelter centres in Sylhet; at the same time, 65,000 people were evacuated to 200 shelters in Sunamganj through the combined efforts of the Army, Navy, Fire Service, and local authorities.
UN OCHA made special reference to the scarcity of transportation and boats for search and rescue operations, which made it particularly difficult for evacuating the elderly and persons with disabilities.
It also said: “Evacuation centres are not equipped with the required provisions to ensure the safety and security of women, girls, and children.
“Health facilities at the upazila level, upazila health complexes, community clinics, and union health and family welfare centres have been impacted significantly due to the floods,” the report further said.
