Daily Times

The death toll from floods jumped to 57 in southeastern Bangladesh while several others are still missing as the swollen rivers started receding after causing massive damage, officials told Anadolu on Saturday. The Education Ministry, in a notification on Friday night, rescheduled the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examination in the flood-affected southeastern Chattogram district and two other education boards. Earlier scheduled to be held on Aug. 17, the exam will now be held on Aug. 29. The deaths were reported in four major southeastern districts between Aug. 4 and 11. Of the total deaths, 21 were recorded in Cox’s Bazar, 20 in Chattogram, 10 in hilly Bandarban, and six in Rangamati district, officials told Anadolu.

Meanwhile, Flood Forecasting and Warning Center warned that the major Jamuna, Brahmaputra, and Padma rivers would keep swelling in the plain areas in the next 72 hours. A similar forecast was issued for Surma and other rivers in the northeastern districts. The northern Teesta River waters may swell over the danger level, the center warned.

Monsoon rain is likely to be pouring in the major parts of the country in the next 24 hours starting Saturday, it said in a flood warning report published on its website. Monsoon rains usually occur between June and September every year, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

Since the beginning of this month, the southern and southeastern parts of the country have been experiencing heavy rains. Chittagong and Bandarban districts received record-breaking rainfall.

The flash floods also washed away hundreds of houses, submerged 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) of crop fields and fish farms, and damaged vast stretches of roads in coastal Cox’s Bazar.

Officials told Anadolu the flood situation in the region has started to improve with decreasing rainfall and receding floodwater. People’s suffering, however, has not decreased yet. According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief on Friday, about 1.0 million people have been affected by floods so far.

Chittagong district Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Saifullah Majumder told Anadolu that 20 people were killed in Chittagong, and one person was missing as of Saturday due to heavy rains and floods caused by torrential downpours. “Out of 15 sub-districts in Chattogram, 14 were badly affected by floodwaters.