At least 13 people died while many animals perished as calamitous flooding wreaked havoc across Bangladesh's 11 eastern districts with three newly flooded by a barrage of waters rolling down from upstream coupled with downpour.
Over 4.5 million people have so far been affected, including nearly 0.9 million families stranded in the midst of water all around in what locals rate as the worst flooding in living memory.
A press conference held by Kamrul Hasan, secretary of the ministry of disaster management and relief (MoDMR) on Friday noon, provided updates on the situation and a preliminary official count of losses.
He confirms that 13 human lives have been lost so far-four in Cumilla, three in Cox's Bazar, and others spread across various districts.
Apart from the loss of human life, media footages show carcasses of livestock lying in rows in the ravaged areas.
Rescue efforts are being carried out by army, navy, coastguard and BGB troops, police, and student-movement activists, alongside hundreds of volunteers.
Authorities have allocated Tk 35.2 million in cash, 20,150 tonnes of rice, and 15,000 packets of dry food to the flood-hit regions for emergency succour.
While the flood situation is showing signs of slow improvement, many areas remain in critical condition.
According to the ministry of agriculture (MoA), a total of 0.339 million hectares of standing crops and seedbeds have been affected in the devastating floods and heavy rain. Aman and Aus crops comprise 0.31 million hectares.
Over 14,300 hectares of vegetable fields have also been inundated in the flooding, says the MoA.
The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) Friday forecast that the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and the Surma-Kushiyara rivers are in falling trend while the Ganges-Padma, northeastern and southeastern rivers are in rising trend which "indicates a further deterioration in flood situation in the southeast".
According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department and India Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall might also occur in the southeastern region of Bangladesh alongside Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Tripura states of India in next one day commencing Friday noon.
The FFWC also says, "The Ganges-Padma, northeastern and southeastern rivers may rise in next 24 hours while the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Surma-Kushiyara rivers might continue falling in next one day."
Many flood-hit people have become homeless and they were trying to take shelter in makeshift homes, boats, highlands, embankments, and roads in the affected districts.
A number of affected people stayed stranded and took shelter on the roofs of their homes as they could not be evacuated in time, witnesses said.
Many of the flood-victim individuals were learnt to have been struggling to obtain food and clean drinking water. In many flood-affected areas, people remain stranded, while some have been evacuated. Their situation is described as dire, but adequate relief has yet to reach them.
Like want of food, the flood-hit people were to face scarcity of drinking water as most of the tube-wells were submerged in the affected areas.
Although bottled drinking water was being provided to the different shelter centres from the two water-purification plants in some of affected areas, it was not sufficient.
"A relief-distribution and financial-aid initiative has already been launched under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army, to support flood-stricken people in the affected districts," says an ISPR release.
Besides, students, individuals and various social organisations, banks, financial intuitions and NGOs have come forward with foods, drinking water, medicines, logistics and financial supports for the affected people.
The army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, had a spot and bird's-eye view of the flood situation and rescue-relief operations.
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