Flood-prone Bangladesh does not expect major floods this summer as lower than normal rainfall has given the country breathing space ahead of the end of the monsoon season this month, the country's flood warning centre said Saturday.
"There is no chance that there will be any major or medium-scale flood this year," said Salim Bhuiyan, the head of the Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Center.
"Bangladesh sees flood in July, August and September. But this year the country saw less than average inundation in July and August, and the weather department forecast there will be less than average rainfall in September."
The delta nation is frequently hit by summer floods as monsoon rains that sweep the subcontinent from June to September combine with snow melt from the Himalayas in major rivers that run through the country to the Bay of Bengal.
But Bhuiyan said there is little chance that Himalayan snow melt will increase enough now to produce floods.
"Chances are slim that waters from the upstream will cause floods as all the major Himalayan rivers have started to recede," Bhuiyan said.
Bangladesh was hit by a medium-scale flood in July and August last year that left more than 700 people dead and 38 percent of the country under water, forcing millions to flee their homes.
The World Bank said the flood caused 2.2 billion dollars' damage in the impoverished country, or four percent of its gross domestic product.
Bhuiyan said the lower than normal rainfall was still adequate for farmers to expect a good harvest.
"If we don't see any drought in the coming days, we can at least say that the farmers are going to have a bumper crop this rainy season," he added.
