Monsoon
\n DHAKA, NEW DELHI
\nAuthorities in flood-hit Bangladesh and northeastern India scrambled on Monday to provide aid to more than nine million people marooned after the heaviest rains in years killed at least 54 people across both South Asian nations, officials said.
\nMonsoon rains in low-lying Bangladesh have triggered catastrophic flooding in the northeastern Sylhet administrative division, leaving a quarter of its 15 million population stranded amid fast-rising waters and swollen rivers.
\n\u201cThe flooding is the worst in 122 years in the Sylhet region,\u201d said Atiqul Haque, Director General of Bangladesh\u2019s Department of Disaster Management.
\nThe situation in Sylhet has been worsened by waters cascading down from the surrounding hills of India\u2019s Meghalaya state, including some of world\u2019s wettest areas like Mawsynram and Cherrapunji that each received more than 970mm (38 inches) of rain on Sunday, according to government data.
\nAround 300,000 people have been moved to shelters in Sylhet but more than four million people are stranded near their inundated homes, compounding the challenges for authorities to provide aid, including drinking water and medical supplies.
\n\u201cThe situation is still alarming,\u201d Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Sylhet division\u2019s chief administrator, told Reuters by phone.
\n\u201cWe are intensifying our efforts providing relief materials. At the moment, the main challenge is to reach everyone and ensuring availability of drinking water.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Monsoon DHAKA, NEW DELHI Authorities in flood-hit Bangladesh and northeastern India scrambled on Monday to provide aid to more than nine million people marooned after the heaviest rains in years killed at least 54 people across both South Asian nations, officials said. Monsoon rains in low-lying Bangladesh have triggered catastrophic flooding in the northeastern Sylhet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-267142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n