The devastating floods that have overwhelmed the country's eastern districts, particularly Cumilla and Feni, with the swelling of rivers caused by torrential rains and onrush of upstream water in northeastern and eastern parts of the country, has served to focus attention on the relevant competence of the interim government. The flood has already affected nearly 4 million people, with the number of casualties, as is always the case in floods, still uncertain. Disaster management and relief adviser Bir Protik Faruk E Azam and disaster management and relief secretary Kamrul Hasan were already on their way to see the situation in the flood-affected areas on Thursday, while other advisers were supposed to join.

The situation in Feni is said to be the worst in living memory. Analysing the rainfall data of Bangladesh and India, it appears that the districts of Feni and Cumilla in Bangladesh and Tripura state in India received an average of more than 450mm of rain over three days from August 19-22. It should be noted here that the average rainfall in Cumilla district is 347 mm in August, while in Parashuram Upazila of Feni, it is 403 mm. It means the total amount of rain that has fallen in Cumilla and Feni on these three days in August is more than the average rainfall for the whole of August. This record amount of rain is the main reason for the record amount of flooding.

The reason behind the flood becoming a flashpoint in relations between India and Bangladesh since the fall of the previous government of Sheikh Hasina is a sudden decision by the Tripura state authorities on Tuesday (Aug. 20) to open a sluice gate of the Dumboor Reservoir, releasing a large volume of floodwaters downstream to Cumilla in Bangladesh via the transboundary Gomti River. This no doubt served to exacerbate the situation, as by Wednesday morning, vast swathes of farmland in Cumilla were submerged by the oncoming waters, with people losing their livelihoods, homes, and crops across thousands of hectares. This caught authorities on the Bangladeshi side of the border off guard, as there had been no official communication from the Indian or Tripura authorities about their decision to open the sluice gate-a move taken for the first time since 1993.

However, the entire blame for the flood does not belong at India's doors. We must not forget that floods are a part of life during the monsoon season in Bangladesh, as well as parts of India. We have largely learned to live with this natural phenomenon, through generations. But there will always be room for improvement, and we have to keep working with our neighbours, particularly India, to this end. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has proposed high-level collaboration between Bangladesh and India to manage floods and emergencies. He put forward the proposal when Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma paid a courtesy call on him.

Yunus said Bangladesh and India share many rivers and high-level collaboration between the two countries would help dissemination of information, and fast and prompt decision-making. These are welcome intentions. We await the details of any such proposal eagerly. But first it must demonstrate its competence in the present situation.