Monsoon floods maroon millions of Bangladeshis

Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) - More than half-a-million people are marooned in Bangladesh in a new wave of floods caused by monsoon rains over the past week. The rivers Teesta, Jamuna and the Brahmaputra, which flows from India, are disrupting train and road links in the north and north-western parts of the country.

A disaster management official says that many are living on river islands and have been cut off for nearly a week. At least 10 people have died either by drowning or snake bites, mostly in Rangpur, Nilphamari and Sherpur districts. Several towns including Kurigram district headquarters, 400 kilometres north-west of Dhaka, are under knee-deep water. Schools and government offices have been shut down.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre says the rivers in north-western Bangladesh would rise further if heavy rains continue in the area and neighbouring north-east Indian states.

At least 10 people died in May in floods in Bangladesh ahead of the main monsoon rains.

Bangladesh suffers monsoon floods almost every year. The worst floods in 15 years swept the country in 2004, killing more than 1,000 people and making millions homeless. Officials estimated the floods from July to September had inundated two-thirds of the country, and destroyed crops and infrastructure worth more than billion.

• BANGLADESH
• MONSOONS
• DISASTER
• FLOODS
• MAROONEDS
• RAINS