Bangladesh floods leave 7.5 million people marooned, 132 dead in two weeks

Floods, the second spell in a year, have affected about 7.5 million people and destroyed crops on more than 10,000 hectares of land in Bangladesh.

As many as 132 people died in the last two weeks, according to figures by the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre or NDRCC.

Across South Asia, more than 800 people have been killed and 24 million affected, which the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or IFRC says is becoming one of the worst regional humanitarian crises in years.

It said there were growing concerns about food shortages and disease.

Officials in Bangladesh said on Wednesday that the floods have affected 32 out of the 64 administrative districts.

Floods have destroyed communities and crops in the northern, northeastern, central, southwestern and southeastern parts of the country as well as the hill tract region, NDRCC chief GM Abdul Quader told the media in Dhaka.

By the numbers

>> Around 300,000 people have lost all of their belongings while 7.18 million have been partially affected;

>> Floodwaters have destroyed 75,331 homes completely and damaged another 586,825 partially;

>> Crops on 10,583 hectares of land have been totally washed away while another 600,587 hectares of farmlands have been partially damaged;

>> More than 60,000 tube-wells, which provided safe drinking water in the flood affected 32 districts, have been damaged;

He said they have so far disbursed Tk 95.94 million in cash, 20,718 tonnes of grains and 55,000 packets of dry food.

Quader said he thinks that the number of affected people will not rise as the floodwaters have started to recede in the north.

Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said the flood situation in the north will start improving in a few days.

The situation is improving in south and central regions, it said on Wednesday.