DHAKA: The death toll from flooding in Bangladesh rose to 71 on Tuesday with millions of people still stranded in devastated areas and growing concerns about outbreaks of waterborne diseases as floodwaters recede.
The floods, triggered by incessant monsoon rains and runoff from upstream waterways, have wreaked havoc over the past two weeks, causing widespread destruction and affecting some five million people.
More than 580,000 families remain stranded in 11 flood-affected districts and are in urgent need of food, clean water, medicine and dry clothing. Nearly 500 medical teams are helping to provide treatment, and the army, air force, navy and border guard are helping with relief efforts.
Authorities are now focusing on preventing the spread of waterborne diseases, a common consequence of such disasters, and ensuring the availability of clean water.
The Directorate General of Health Services said nearly 5,000 people had been hospitalized in the past 24 hours for cases of diarrhea, skin infections and snake bites.
Heavy rains in the capital Dhaka inundated many districts on Tuesday, submerging roads in knee- and waist-deep water and causing massive traffic jams as vehicles struggled through the waterlogged streets.
According to a preliminary assessment by the Agriculture Ministry, crops worth 33.5 billion takas ($282 million) were damaged, affecting more than 1.4 million farmers.
A 2015 analysis by the World Bank Institute estimated that 3.5 million people in the South Asian country were at risk of annual river flooding, a situation that has only increased in recent years due to climate change.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that two million children are at risk due to the worst floods to hit Bangladesh in three decades. UNICEF has launched an urgent appeal for $35 million to provide basic supplies to those affected.
“Year after year, the lives of millions of children in Bangladesh are devastated by floods, heatwaves and cyclones. Climate change is clearly disrupting children’s lives,” said Emma Brigham, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Bangladesh.
