50-Year Rains Destroy Bangladesh Crops; 1 Million Face Illness & Death

[hatrack]

EDIT

In July and August, half of Bangladesh was inundated by rains and river flooding that killed more than 760 people, affected more than 30 million, and washed away untold numbers of homes, roads and vital subsistence crops.

Then earlier this month, as global attention turned to the hurricanes lashing the Caribbean and Florida, and then to lethal flooding in Haiti, Bangladesh endured its heaviest rain in 50 years, inundating the already saturated land and devastating recovery efforts.

While children caught fish in the contaminated metre-deep floodwaters of Dhaka's streets, hectares of aman rice seedlings and other crops planted after the August rains were washed away and hundreds more villages, particularly in the south-west which had escaped the worst of the earlier floods, were inundated.

Aid agencies warn that the consequences of this little acknowledged double tragedy is a disaster on a far larger scale than first recognised in a low-lying country wearily familiar with annual flooding. Unicef and the world food programme warn that within six weeks, without rapid medical and food aid, more than a million Bangladeshi children risk acute illness or death through malnutrition. More than 500,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are also seen by aid experts as acutely vulnerable. The latest UN assessment warns that most areas will need food at least until the aman rice harvest in December, with some requiring much longer support if that crop fails."

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/naturaldisasters/story/0,7369,1315141,00.html

[demnan]

1. Poor little Bangledesh

what a shame, their people are very enlightened Muslims who follow their religion without forcing it on others.