A Bangladeshi resident sits next to cattle standing on higher ground in a flooded area in Kurigram on July 17 2019. Picture: AFP/REHMAN ASAD
The monsoon brings heavy rains to South Asia between June and October, often triggering floods later in the season. Inadequate supplies are also a concern in the Indian state of Assam, where more than 5.8-million people have been forced out of their homes, but the situation is improving. “No fresh areas have come under floodwaters since Wednesday night,” Assam’s health and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The floods have killed at least 43 animals, but authorities worry that poachers could take advantage of the deluge to target animals, especially one-horned rhinos, whose numbers are down to about 3,500 worldwide.