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world news Diaranson 22 Juni 2022

Officials try to deliver aid to flooded South Asia villages

(AP) — Authorities in In- ficials said. They said about It used to be up to my waist,”
dia and Bangladesh strug- 200,000 people were taking said Muhit Ahmed, owner of
gled Monday to deliver shelter in 700 relief camps. a grocery shop in Sylhet.
food and drinking water Water in all major rivers in
to hundreds of thousands the state was above danger Bangladesh called in soldiers
of people evacuated from levels. on Friday to help evacuate
their homes in days of people, but Ahmed said he
flooding that have sub- Chief Minister Himanta hasn’t seen any yet.
merged wide swaths of the Biswa Sarma said Monday
countries. his administration is using “We are in a great disaster.
military helicopters to airlift Neither the Sylhet City Cor-
The floods triggered by mon- food and fuel to badly affect- poration nor anyone else
soon rains have killed more ed parts of the state. came here to inquire about
than a dozen people, ma- us,” he said. “I am trying to
rooned millions and flooded Assam has already been reel- save my belongings as much
millions of houses. ing from massive floods after as I can. We don’t have the
torrential rains over the past ability to do any more now.”
In Sylhet in northeastern few weeks caused the Brah-
Bangladesh along the Sur- maputra River to break its The national Flood Forecast- day to prepare food as part of years, damaging its infra-
ma River, villagers waded banks, leaving millions of ing and Warning Center said plans to feed 5,000 families in structure and economy. Al-
through streets flooded up to homes underwater and sev- on Sunday that flooding in one affected district, but the most 28% of the nation’s 160
their knees. One man stood ering transport links. the northeastern districts of arrangements were inade- million people live in coastal
in the doorway of his flooded Sunamganj and Sylhet could quate, senior director Arinjoy regions, according to the
shop, where the top shelves The Brahmaputra flows from worsen. It said the Teesta, Dhar said. In a video posted World Bank.
were crammed with items in Tibet through India and into a major river in northern online, Dhar asked for help
an effort to keep them above Bangladesh, with a nearly Bangladesh, may rise above in providing food for flood- One of the worst floods took
water. Local TV said millions 800-kilometer (500-mile) danger levels. The situation affected people. place in 1988, when much of
remained without electricity. journey through Assam. could also deteriorate in oth- the country was under water.
er northern districts, it said. Last month, a pre-monsoon In 1998, another devastating
Enamur Rahman, junior Major roads in affected re- flash flood triggered by wa- flood inundated almost 75%
minister for disaster and re- gions of Bangladesh were Officials said floodwaters ter from upstream in In- of the country. In 2004, more
lief, said up to 100,000 people submerged, leaving people have started receding in the dia’s northeastern states hit prolonged flooding occurred.
have been evacuated in the stranded. In a country with northeast but are posing a Bangladesh’s northern and
worst-hit districts, including a history of climate change- threat to the central region, northeastern regions, de- Scientists say flooding in
Sylhet. About 4 million are induced disasters, many ex- where water flows south to stroying crops and damaging Bangladesh has been wors-
marooned, the United News pressed frustration that au- the Bay of Bengal. homes and roads. ened by climate change. Ac-
of Bangladesh said. thorities haven’t done more cording to the United Na-
locally. Media reports said villagers Bangladesh is mostly flat tions’ Intergovernmental
Flooding also ravaged India’s in remote areas are struggling and low-lying, so short-term Panel on Climate Change,
northeastern Assam state, “There isn’t much to say to obtain drinking water and floods during the monsoon about 17% of the population
where two policemen in- about the situation. You can food. season are common and are will need to be relocated over
volved in rescue operations see the water with your own often beneficial to agricul- the next decade or so if global
were washed away by flood- eyes. The water level inside BRAC, a private nonprofit ture. But devastating floods warming persists at the pres-
waters on Sunday, state of- the room has dropped a bit. group, opened a center Mon- hit the country every few ent rate.

Lapid, set to be Israel’s next premier, faces critical test

(AP) — In a 10-year political ca- Next week, he is expected to assume elections in the fall. It will be a criti- trial for corruption charges, he vowed
reer, Israel’s Yair Lapid has trans- his biggest role yet — as the new cal test for Lapid, 58, who will try to to “stand against the forces threaten-
formed himself from an upstart prime minister. convince Israelis he is worthy of the ing to turn Israel into a nondemocrat-
political novice to a feisty opposi- top office as he takes on a resurgent ic country.” Netanyahu, believing he
tion leader to the savvy operator Following the government’s decision Netanyahu. is the victim of a political witch hunt,
who toppled Prime Minister Ben- to dissolve parliament, Lapid, now has made clear he intends to take on
jamin Netanyahu. foreign minister, is set to take of- “A year ago, we started the process of the country’s legal and law-enforce-
fice as caretaker prime minister until rebuilding, and now: we’re carrying it ment establishment if he returns to
on, and carrying it on together,” La- power.
pid declared late Monday as he stood
alongside his main coalition partner, A former author, columnist, news
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. anchor, bank pitchman and amateur
boxer, Lapid left a successful career as
Officially, the two men were an- a media personality to enter politics
nouncing the end of their year-old in 2012 as head of a new centrist party
government — an alliance of eight popular with middle-class Israelis.
diverse parties that was severely
weakened by months of infighting He promised economic relief, an end
and rebellion. But in many ways, La- to controversial draft exemptions for
pid sounded like he was beginning seminary students and a more mod-
his next campaign. erate approach to the Palestinians.

“Even if we are going to elections in Unlike the right-wing parties that
a few months, the challenges we face dominate Israel’s political system,
will not wait,” he said, pointing to Lapid favors peace talks leading to an
Israel’s high cost of living and secu- eventual two-state solution with the
rity challenges in Gaza, Lebanon and Palestinians, although it’s unclear if
Iran. he will ever have the kind of mandate
needed to engage in such a process.
In a swipe at Netanyahu, who is on