Begum's family, in a desperate attempt to protect their limited belongings, attached their sole suitcase to their home - a temporary shelter made of bamboo and banana leaves put together following the previous destructive flood in the region just two years earlier. When the floodwaters rose, their house became isolated in muddy waters, forcing the family to prepare meals on a dry elevated spot close by. However, a heartbreaking event unfolded when Begum left her 1-year-old daughter, Lamia Khatun, on a higher piece of land while she washed clothes in the floodwaters on Tuesday. Tragically, the waters continued to rise. Begum, 32, recounted that upon her return, she discovered that the woman she was looking for had disappeared and her body was found hours later. Monsoon floods have severely affected over 4 million individuals in southern Asia, destroying homes, villages, and prompting people to seek refuge on rooftops. The monsoon season, typically from June to September, brings heavy rainfall crucial to South Asia's agriculture. However, in recent years, cyclones and floods have become more frequent during this season, leading to the displacement of millions in low-lying areas, particularly in Bangladesh. The previous year witnessed over 600 fatalities and more than 25 million people affected by flooding in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Nepal due to the relentless monsoon rains, as reported by the United Nations. In 2017, over 1,000 people lost their lives in floods in South Asia. The heaviest rainfall this year has been in northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal, according to the Southeast Asia Flash Flood Forecast System, which is linked to the United Nations. Flooding in Bangladesh began in late June and is expected to continue into the following month, affecting more areas. Enamur Rahman, the Bangladeshi minister for disaster management, stated that these floods are the worst in decades, leaving hundreds of thousands of families stranded and leading to the opening of over 1,000 emergency shelters. Rahman assured that they are utilizing all available resources to combat this catastrophe. Researchers are warning that this year's rains and floods may last longer than usual. They predict that Bangladesh, with a population of over 160 million, could lose over 10% of its land to rising sea levels due to climate change, potentially displacing 18 million people. India has also been severely affected, with floods hitting states such as Assam, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal. At least 85 people have died and over 3 million have been affected by the floods. In Assam, Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage site home to the vulnerable one-horned Indian rhinoceros, has been completely submerged. Authorities reported that over 50 animals perished in the flood, although some wildlife was saved. Rescue efforts have been conducted in at least 22 districts in Assam as more than a dozen rivers and tributaries have exceeded the danger level. In Nepal, 67 individuals have died and 40 are still unaccounted for, as stated by the National Emergency Operation Center. This is in addition to the severe monsoon rains affecting Bangladesh, a low-lying and densely populated country with 165 million residents that is consistently plagued by flooding. In the northern region of Jamalpur, the flood situation has reached a critical point as rivers are flowing well above the danger level. Muneeb-ul-Islam, a 42-year-old resident of the area, along with his wife and three children, has faced the loss of his home multiple times over the past decade, leaving him with only the clothes on his back. Along with his family, Muneeb-ul-Islam is one of over 1 million people in Bangladesh who have been displaced or left homeless due to the floods. He expressed feeling as though they had committed a sin and lamented having to rebuild their lives from scratch for the third time in recent years. Another resident named Begum, who tragically lost her one-year-old child, shared that her life had been completely devastated by the disaster. She has relocated to a nearby shelter in a school building, where hundreds of people are packed in tightly. Concern about the coronavirus spreading in such crowded conditions is significant. Begum's family expressed that they were not adequately warned about the severity of the flooding. "I will never return to our previous home," she stated, "The water has taken everything from us."