Experts Call Flooding in South Asia 'Unprecedented'
2022-06-25
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1Scientists say climate change is one reason for early rains that brought major floods to Bangladesh and northeastern India.
2Flooding usually takes place later in the year with rain brought in by strong winds called monsoons.
3This year's heavy rainfall came as early as March.
4It may take a long time to understand how much climate change played a part in the floods.
5But scientists say that climate change has made monsoons unpredictable over the past 10 or 20 years.
6This means that much of the rain expected to fall in a year is arriving in only a few weeks.
7The northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya received nearly three times its average June rainfall in just the first three weeks of the month.
8 Neighboring Assam received double its monthly average in the same period.
9Several rivers flow from the two states into the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh.
10Bangladesh's Flood Forecast and Warning Center warned recently that water levels would remain dangerously high in the country's northern areas.
11Roxy Matthew Koll is a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
12He said the monsoons have been changing since the 1950s.
13There have been longer periods of dry weather mixed with periods of heavy rain.
14Koll added that extreme rainfall events were also expected to increase.
15Until now, floods in northeastern Bangladesh were rare.
16Assam state usually faces floods later in the year during the usual monsoon season.
17Anjal Prakash is a research director at India's Bharti Institute of Public Policy.
18He said the amount of early rain this year makes the current floods an "unprecedented" situation.
19"This is something that we have never heard of and never seen," he said.
20Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently said the country had not faced such a crisis in a long time.
21She noted that the water coming from Meghalaya and Assam in India had affected the Sylhet area in northeastern Bangladesh.
22Hasina said that floodwaters would go away soon from the northeast.
23But the water would likely hit the country's south on the way to the Bay of Bengal.
24"We should prepare to face it," she added.
25At least 42 people have died from floods in Bangladesh since May 17.
26Indian officials reported that flood deaths have risen to at least 78 in Assam state.
27Seventeen others were killed in landslides.
28Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced.
29Millions in the area have been forced to move into evacuation centers.
30Bangladesh is one of the countries considered most at-risk to flooding and the poor are strongly affected.
31Mohammad Arfanuzzaman is a climate change expert at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
32He said that floods like the one this year could have widespread effects.
33Farmers could lose their crops and be forced into debt.
34Children might not be able to go to school and could face an increased risk of disease.
35"Poor people are suffering a lot from the ongoing flooding," he said.
36I'm Jonathan Evans.
1Scientists say climate change is one reason for early rains that brought major floods to Bangladesh and northeastern India. 2Flooding usually takes place later in the year with rain brought in by strong winds called monsoons. 3This year's heavy rainfall came as early as March. 4It may take a long time to understand how much climate change played a part in the floods. But scientists say that climate change has made monsoons unpredictable over the past 10 or 20 years. This means that much of the rain expected to fall in a year is arriving in only a few weeks. 5The northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya received nearly three times its average June rainfall in just the first three weeks of the month. Neighboring Assam received double its monthly average in the same period. Several rivers flow from the two states into the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. 6Bangladesh's Flood Forecast and Warning Center warned recently that water levels would remain dangerously high in the country's northern areas. 7Roxy Matthew Koll is a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. He said the monsoons have been changing since the 1950s. There have been longer periods of dry weather mixed with periods of heavy rain. Koll added that extreme rainfall events were also expected to increase. 8Until now, floods in northeastern Bangladesh were rare. Assam state usually faces floods later in the year during the usual monsoon season. Anjal Prakash is a research director at India's Bharti Institute of Public Policy. He said the amount of early rain this year makes the current floods an "unprecedented" situation. 9"This is something that we have never heard of and never seen," he said. 10Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently said the country had not faced such a crisis in a long time. She noted that the water coming from Meghalaya and Assam in India had affected the Sylhet area in northeastern Bangladesh. 11Hasina said that floodwaters would go away soon from the northeast. But the water would likely hit the country's south on the way to the Bay of Bengal. 12"We should prepare to face it," she added. 13At least 42 people have died from floods in Bangladesh since May 17. Indian officials reported that flood deaths have risen to at least 78 in Assam state. Seventeen others were killed in landslides. 14Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced. Millions in the area have been forced to move into evacuation centers. 15Bangladesh is one of the countries considered most at-risk to flooding and the poor are strongly affected. 16Mohammad Arfanuzzaman is a climate change expert at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He said that floods like the one this year could have widespread effects. Farmers could lose their crops and be forced into debt. Children might not be able to go to school and could face an increased risk of disease. 17"Poor people are suffering a lot from the ongoing flooding," he said. 18I'm Jonathan Evans. 19Aniruddha Ghosal and Al-Emrun Garjon reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. 20________________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22unprecedented - adj. not done or experienced before 23evacuation - n. the removal of persons or things from an endangered area