Bangladesh Floods, Incessant Rains Force Over One Million To Leave Homes

One-third of Bangladesh is submerged under floodwater as the situation continues to worsen with over 1 million villagers forced to leave their homes along with their cattle and other belongings.

Major rivers in the country with 64 districts are flowing above the danger level mark, posing danger to human lives and live stock. "The worst thing is that the floods are getting prolonged this year, which is a bad sign," Arifuzzman Bhuiyan, an executive engineer with the Water Development Board said.

Incessant rains and rushing waters from upstream India were cited as the main reasons for the floods in the delta nation of 160 million people, which receives monsoon rains between June and October every year, often resulting in flooding.

The floods began late last month and affected many new areas, destroying crops and driving people from their homes in several impoverished regions. Bangladesh is criss-crossed by 230 rivers, including 53 shared with India.

In the northern district of Kurigram, one of the worst-hit areas, thousands of villagers have moved from their homes to higher ground since the weekend, bringing along their cattle and other belongings, Mizanur Rahman Soikat, project coordinator with the Bidyanondo Foundation, a local charity said.

The foundation has been distributing both cooked and dry food to the flood-affected villagers.

The charity has distributed food to some 135,000 people in Kurigram, while the government's relief office was also providing food, cash and cattle food, Soikat said.

"Over last two days, the situation has deteriorated and many villages went underwater in the district," he said. "I have seen thousands taking shelter."

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