DHAKA, July 24: Floods caused by swollen rivers in Bangladesh have so far claimed more than 200 lives and made 21 million homeless.

The overall flood situation in the central region, including the capital, has further worsened as river after river bursts its banks. Nearly two-thirds of Bangladesh including at least one-third of Dhaka has been submerged by flood waters since the start of the monsoon in late June.

The floods have affected people in 40 out of the country's 64 districts, the relief and disaster management ministry said. The government has instructed education authorities to provide shelter to the flood affectees in classrooms.

The United Nations has forecast a major humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh as floods have damaged the rice crop and storage facilities.

Another threat facing the nation is the outbreak of diseases. According to the health directorate, 41 people have died from diarrhoea across the country. Over 72,000 people are suffering from the disease, the directorate said.

Overflowing rivers fed by heavy rains inundated new areas in central Bangladesh, including low-lying parts of the national capital, Dhaka. Even Dhaka's posh areas have been flooded, forcing people to move about in boats.

APP adds: Nearly 7 million people have left their submerged homes and taken shelter in higher places like school buildings or mud embankments, the Ittefaq newspaper said. Relief workers were struggling to deliver emergency supplies and medicine to the affected people.