Death toll from floods rises to 251

The flood situation across the country continues to have devastating effects on people claiming 251 lives so far, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).  

A total of 160 upazilas in the country have been affected by the floods that set in during the last week of June, and is yet to subside fully, said a bulletin of the DGHS.

People in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Madaripur, Sirajganj, Tangail, Faridpur, and Netrokona were the worst sufferers from the deluge. 

Among the deceased, 41 died in Tangail, 32 in Jamalpur, 26 in Manikganj, 24 in Kurigram, 19 in Lalmonirhat, 16 in Gaibandha, 15 in Sirajganj, 11 in Kishoreganj, 10 in Munshiganj, 9 in Dhaka, 8 each in Shariatpur and Sunamganj, 7 in Netrokona, 6 each in Gazipur and Rajbari, 4 in Rangpur, and 2 each in Nilphamari, Bogra, Faridpur, Naogaon and Gopalganj.

The government has prepared 1070 shelters in the flood-affected districts.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is one of the hotspots for a series of floods in the world, a latest study said, noting that 250 million coastal dwellers will face rising floods globally.

In the next 80 years, flooding around the planet’s land masses is likely to rise by almost 50%, endangering many millions of coastal dwellers. If people go on burning even greater volumes of fossil fuels, while destroying more natural forest, another 77 million people could be at risk of flooding, a rise of 52%.

“This is critical research from a policy point of view because it provides politicians with a credible estimate of the risks and costs we are facing, and a basis for taking action,” said Ian Young, an engineer at the University of Melbourne, and a coauthor of the study.