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Rabat – Authorities in Bangladesh reported today that heavy rains this week caused fatal flooding that have to date claimed eight lives and impacted over two million people.
In the northern rural town of Shahjadpur, two teenagers tragically lost their lives after their boat capsized, as confirmed by the local police chief during a press briefing.
“There were nine people in the small boat. Seven swam to safety. Two boys did not know how to swim. They drowned,” he stated.
Bishwadeb Roy, a police chief in Kurigram district, one of the worst-hit areas, told AFP that three deaths occurred due to electrocution incidents when their boats tangled with live electrical wires in flooded areas.
According to converging reports, the government announced the establishment of hundreds of shelters for those displaced by flooding and dispatched food and aid to the hardest-hit regions in the north.
Kamrul Hasan, the secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management, reported to the same source that over two million people have been impacted by the flooding, affecting seventeen out of Bangladesh’s 64 districts.
The official also warned of potential worsening floods in the northern regions in the days ahead, noting that the water levels of the Brahmaputra, a key river in Bangladesh, have exceeded critical thresholds in some areas.
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Bangladesh is currently in the midst of the summer monsoon, which accounts for 70% to 80% of the annual precipitation in South Asia, leading to numerous deaths and destruction from floods and landslides.
A monsoon marks the seasonal shift in a region’s predominant wind direction, influencing wet and dry seasons across tropical areas. The summer monsoon specifically brings heavy rainfall.
Rainfall patterns during the monsoon are highly unpredictable and vary significantly.
This comes as scientists continue to warn that climate change is intensifying and destabilizing the monsoon, making it stronger and more erratic.
