DHAKA, July 27: Flood waters which have so far submerged almost two-thirds of Bangladesh, caused around 400 deaths and left 30 million people marooned, will not recede for at least a week
, said the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in Dhaka on Tuesday.
A high tide in the Bay of Bengal will keep the sea level slightly higher till the next full moon on July 30, which will prevent recession of the floodwater, said Selim Bhuiyan, an executive engineer of the flood forecasting centre.
"There is hardly any chance for improvement of the flood situation even three to four days after the full moon." Meanwhile, most lakeside homes, including a number of diplomatic establishments, at the posh Gulshan and Baridhara area in Dhaka city, have been submerged by floodwater.
Offices of at least 10 foreign missions in the diplomatic zone are threatened by the floodwater as lanes and by-lanes around have been submerged by ankle- to knee-deep water.
The embassy of Japan on Monday shifted its visa section from the Gulshan area as makeshift sandbag walls failed to prevent water from entering the office. Officials and employees of the Indian High Commission's cultural section, like many others in the area, were seen pumping out water from inside their office building.
The roads, lanes and by-lanes around and beside the Royal Nepal Embassy, the Royal Thai Embassy, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Baridhara, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Indian High Commission and the Palestine Embassy in Gulshan have already been flooded. The flood has also threatened the residences of the Malaysian ambassador and the resident representative of the International Monetary Fund in Baridhara.
