Reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh
Floods in Bangladesh have killed at least 13 people and affected millions of others in the country’s northeast, adding to the challenges of an interim government struggling to return order to a country plunged into anarchy after mass protests forced out its autocratic leader.
The regions of Feni and Cumilla were worst hit, the country’s ministry of disaster management and relief said. Communication lines have been affected, with almost all cellphone towers losing electricity. Rail service has been suspended and roads have been damaged, hampering delivery of emergency aid. Bangladesh’s army and navy have been deployed for rescue operations.
Residents described water levels beyond any they had seen in recent years.
“I can recall a flood in 2004, but as I remember the water level wasn’t this high,” said Ahmed Farabee, 27, a resident of Noakhali, one of the worst-affected areas, where he estimated that 90 percent of homes were flooded with knee-high water. “This time, the rainwater couldn’t drain properly because the canals and wetlands are full,” he said.
The floods hit the country just weeks after its long-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was toppled by a student-led protest movement. Her crackdown, before she relinquished power and fled the country, left hundreds dead.
An interim government led by the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which includes representatives of the protesters, is trying to restore order to what was a dangerous and violent vacum. The natural disaster adds to the government’s long list of challenges, including discredited law enforcement, an economy in a downward spiral and a banking sector on the verge of collapse.
People surrounded the country’s water management body early Thursday, protesting the government’s slow response and demanding that speedboats and rescue boats be sent to the flooded regions.
Nahid Islam, 26, a protest leader turned cabinet member, was among them, urging officials to act swiftly.
The floods have also increased tensions with neighboring India.
Members of the interim government have accused India, which is upstream of Bangladesh, of opening dam gates without warning. India was a close backer of Ms. Hasina and is sheltering her, so relations between the two countries are already fraught.
The Indian government has rejected claims that it opened dam gates in Tripura, an Indian state that borders Bangladesh. India’s foreign ministry said flooding because of heavy rain has been a problem on both sides of the border, and that the damage in Bangladesh was caused primarily by water from catchments downstream of the dam in question.
Bangladesh’s low-lying geography means floods caused by monsoon rains and cyclones are common. Recent encroachment and infrastructure development have also affected the natural flow of the rivers and made them more likely to overflow, said G.M. Tarekul Islam, a scholar at the Institute of Water and Flood Management at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
In May this year, Cyclone Remal caused devastation, killing over a dozen people in Bangladesh. Last year in May, Cyclone Mocha also caused widespread damage, leaving thousands homeless, including Rohingya Muslims seeking refuge in Cox’s Bazar after fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
source : newyork times