Politicising flood serves no purpose

The recent clamour in Bangladesh over India causing floods by releasing water from its dams has been debunked by credible fact-checking sources, including DW. It confirmed that many of the videos allegedly showing water releases from the Dumbur Dam were, in fact, from different locations and times. According to experts, the floods are primarily a result of heavy monsoon rains and the region's natural geography, rather than deliberate actions by neighbouring countries.
Many users on social media have posted videos of a dam releasing water, claiming it to be the Dumbur Dam in the Indian state of Tripura. However, the prestigious German news channel Deutsche Welle's (DW's) fact check revealed that the dam in the video is actually the Srisailam Dam, located in the Indian state of Telangana, near the temple of Srisailam. DW stated, "We have geolocated the Srisailam Dam, and there is an old video from 2020 attached to Google Maps as well. By comparing the videos, you can see that both dams look completely different."
Flooding in South Asia often occurs due to the region's shared river systems, leading to frequent blame games among the neighbouring countries. Bangladesh has often accused India of causing floods, especially by releasing water from the Farakka Barrage, which stands on the River Ganges. India, on the other hand, blames Bangladesh for not having an adequate flood control system.
"Bangladesh is a flood deltaic region," Professor Ainun Nishat, a river and water management expert based in Dhaka, explained to DW. "So, we depend on flood embankments or flood dikes for managing floods in our own country. Unfortunately, these were constructed mostly in the '60s, '70s, and 1980s, and their maintenance has been very poor. The result is the embankment breach, and the flood enters."
"The Dumbur Dam on the Gomati River is 120 kilometres away before it reaches the Bangladesh area. Yes, they had to open the gates for the dam's safety," Professor Nishat said.
"Bangladesh's sentiment against the Farakka Barrage is not for the monsoon conditions. It is for the winter or dry season conditions. In the dry season, the flow becomes low, and India can divert the entire flow," he added.
Instead of relying on myths and falsely blaming India for the floods, it is crucial for Bangladesh to focus on finding solutions to mitigate the impact of these natural disasters. Both India and Bangladesh can work together to improve flood management systems, enhance early warning systems, and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure.

Nazmul Hasan
Dhanmondi, Dhaka.