India-Bangladesh Floods Change Course of Children’s Lives as Entire Districts Submerged – Save the Children

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (June 22, 2022) —  More than 100 people have been killed, including children, as floods, landslides, and lightning strikes have recently battered Eastern India and Bangladesh. 

In India's Assam state, the floods have affected more than four million people, including at least a million children. At least 800,000 children are out of school across the state, with school buildings damaged or destroyed by wind and rain^[i]. 

In Bangladesh, the entirety of Sunamganj district and at least 84% of Sylhet district are submerged^[ii]. Nearly four million people are affected across Bangladesh, including 1.26 million children, and the severity is reportedly higher than the floods in 2004, which submerged half of the country at their peak. 

The floods came as the region is still reeling from the worst floods in decades less than a month ago, which saw children's 'homes, schools and livelihoods washed away,' according to Save the Children. In the Bangladeshi district of Sylhet, May's flooding damaged at least 93,000 homes and 419 primary schools, the aid group said. 

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe across the region as a result of the climate emergency, and children are the most vulnerable to the impacts, said the child rights agency. 

Sultana Begum, Save the Children's Regional Humanitarian Advocacy and Policy Manager for Asia, said: "Rains are still falling, water levels are still rising, and it is still too early to say what the total damage will be. But we already know that millions of people have been affected across both countries. For many, this will change the course of their lives, leaving them without homes and schools and forcing them to move to temporary shelters for who knows how long. 

"Everything we are hearing points towards these kinds of extreme weather events getting worse and worse. And we have certainly not seen two bouts of severe flooding happen in such quick succession before. Make no mistake, the climate emergency is already making its mark on India and Bangladesh, and it is robbing children of their homes, families, food, water, and access to education and healthcare. As an immediate step, we need more aid and support to help children and their families affected by these floods. But without urgent action from the world to address the root causes of climate change, the poorest and the most vulnerable will continue to be hit the hardest."

Save the Children India is providing relief with hygiene, education, and shelter kits across Darrang and Naogaon Districts. We are also setting up child-friendly spaces providing psychosocial support to children and pregnant women in need of care. 

In Bangladesh, thanks to funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office and USAID, Save the Children is supporting people affected in Sylhet with cash, food baskets, hygiene kits, water purification tablets, and mental health support. In the second phase of the response, we are planning to support with cleaning up schools and reconstructing homes. As well as providing, support in school cleaning and repairing/reconstructing homes.

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About Save the Children India

Save the Children works across 20 of India's 28 states, on issues related to education, health, protection, and humanitarian and disaster risk reduction needs of children, especially for those who are the most deprived and marginalized. Save the Children's association with India is more than 80 years old. Visit www.save the children.in for more information.

About Save the Children Bangladesh

Save the Children has been working in Bangladesh since 1970. Being the largest child rights organization in Bangladesh, Save the Children in Bangladesh is promoting the rights of children and adolescents to education, to health, and to a life without violence. Save the Children in Bangladesh's approach is based on the participation of children and adolescents, their families, and communities in their own development. For more information, please visit https://bangladesh.savethechildren.net/.

^[i] Assam State Disaster Management Authority

^[ii] Bangladesh | 2022 Severe Flash Flood Office of the UN Resident Coordinator Situation Update #1 (19 June 2022) - Bangladesh | ReliefWeb