Behind devastating floods in Tripura and Bangladesh, record rainfall and not just a dam

For four days starting August 19, heavy rain lashed Tripura. While this is not unusual during the monsoon, the state received 298% excess rainfall between August 15 and August 21, according to data from India Meteorological Department.

As water levels in rivers in six locations flew above the danger mark, the state was flooded. Twenty-four people lost their lives, over 17 lakh people were affected and over 1.28 lakh displaced. It was an “unprecedented situation”, the state disaster management authority said.

Across Tripura’s western border, Bangladesh was in a similar predicament, with rivers flowing above the danger mark and continuous heavy rain. The districts on the country’s border with Tripura saw severe floods.

However, the common experience of a natural calamity ended up only dividing the two countries, as a section of the media alleged that India had a hand in Bangladesh’s suffering. Reports claimed that India’s decision to open the sluice gates of a dam on the river Gumti on August 21 had caught Bangladesh off-guard. Social media accounts accused India of creating an “artificial flood” or “intentionally creating” floods, reflecting the animosity against India in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Though the Bangladesh government did not echo those allegations, India’s Ministry of External...

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