Humanitarian crisis warning as millions hit by South Asia floods

More than 9.6 million people across South Asia have been affected by severe floods, with hundreds of thousands struggling to get food and medicine.

About 550 people have died in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, while millions have been displaced from their homes since the flooding began last month, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said.

Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the IFRC, said South Asia could face a humanitarian crisis.

“People in Bangladesh, India and Nepal are sandwiched in a triple disaster of flooding, the coronavirus and an associated socioeconomic crisis of loss of livelihoods and jobs,” he said.

“Flooding of farmlands and destruction of crops can push millions of people, already badly impacted by Covid-19, further into poverty.”

The organisation said close to onethird of Bangladesh has already been flooded, with more flooding expected in the coming weeks.

It said 2.8 million people have been affected, and that more than one million are isolated.

In India, more than 6.8 million people have been affected by the flooding, mainly in the northern states of Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Meghalaya, bordering Bangladesh.

In India’s north-eastern state of

Assam alone, some 2.5 million people were affected and at least 113 have died.

Many rivers are still flowing above the danger level and more rain is expected in the next few days.

More than 100 animals, mostly deer, have died in floods that have submerged Kaziranga National Park, 139 miles east of the state capital Gauhati.

In Bangladesh, experts say this year’s monsoon will last longer than usual as more waters are expected to rush in from upstream India, which shares 53 rivers with downstream Bangladesh.

Picture: IFRC. Volunteers reach people with drinking water and other support in Kurigram, Bangladesh.