Media CenterCRS Responds to Severe Flooding in Bangladesh and India

Photo by Map Mahmud for CRS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Dhaka, Bangladesh:
Kamrul Hassan
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
+880 1971587307

Baltimore, Maryland:
Brittany Wichtendahl
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
757-748-5003

DHAKA, BANGLADESH, July 1, 2022 – Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is helping thousands of families affected by the worst monsoon in over two decades, which has left more than 10 million people across Bangladesh and India in need of urgent support. More than 200 people have died in the flooding, so far.

In Bangladesh, CRS and its partner, Caritas Bangladesh, are facilitating relief efforts by providing food, water and other essentials.

“Alongside our partners, we're working quickly to provide 4,000 families with lifesaving assistance such as food, safe drinking water, emergency shelter kits, hygiene kits, dignity kits for adolescent girls, and cash so families can spend on their immediate needs,” said Snigdha Chakraborty, who is coordinating CRS’ emergency response from Dhaka.

In India, CRS and Church partners are responding in two of the hardest-hit districts - Morigaon and Cachar, assisting about 5,000 families with food, emergency shelter and hygiene material.

“With fresh rains and flooding, people have been subject to further hardship. They haven’t had a chance to recoup from the first flooding,” said Senthil Gurunathan, CRS’ country representative for India. “Families are cut off from most services and have lost their crops, belongings and livelihoods. With the monsoon season lasting until September, we expect even more rains and flooding. People will need urgent support to meet their everyday needs and longer-term support to rebuild their lives.”

The monsoon season in South Asia traditionally runs from June through September; however, due to climate change, the monsoon season has become far more unpredictable. For example, rains started far earlier this year, affecting crops, livestock and infrastructure. In addition to causing more flooding, climate change has posed an especially daunting challenge for countries like India and Bangladesh, which have had to deal with many more complex, cross-border emergencies.

For example, the latest round of flooding to hit Bangladesh and India comes in the aftermath of Super Cyclone Amphan, which struck the region in May 2020, forcing millions of people to flee their homes.

“We are particularly concerned about the safety of children,” Chakraborty said. “Additionally, the economic impact for families is enormous, due to many relying on agriculture and rearing of livestock for their livelihoods, which have been damaged or destroyed. Given the damage to infrastructure, this will likely require a long-term response.”

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media in English at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube; and in Spanish at: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.