Special Correspondent ;

Dhaka – The month-long flooding triggered by heavy rain in the upstream has killed at least 41 people and affected more than 4.8 million people in central and northern parts of Bangladesh, the government said.

The flooding is set to deteriorate in the central areas, especially the districts around the capital Dhaka, as rivers continued to swell their banks inundating more areas.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Center predicted the situation may worsen further for the next couple of days. The situation will gradually improve in the norther parts as waters in some of the rivers started receding. The government’s disaster management ministry website predicted the situation is likely to improve further in mid-August.

More than 1 million people have been marooned at their homes while many left for shelters opened by the government. Livestock were also shifted to higher grounds.    

The flooding, which began in late June, killed at least 41 people, including 31 children, disaster management ministry spokesperson Tasmin Ara Azmiri said. Drowning caused most of the deaths, she added.       

Humanitarian information website ReliefWeb has predicted the current floods may be the most prolonged since the 1988 flooding that had submerged two-thirds of Bangladesh for more than two months.

The floods in 1988 had caused extensive damage to Bangladesh.

This time round the floods have engulfed in 31 out of 64 administrative districts causing widespread damage to flood protection embankments, crops, poultry and livestock, and fisheries. It threatened food security and livelihoods in the country, according to the website.

The floods may further exacerbate the humanitarian situation amid the handling of novel coronavirus pandemic that left 3,000 people killed, said the website.

The government has dispatched emergency supplies of rice, dry food, baby food and cash support in the affected areas.

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