Begum's family, in an attempt to protect their limited belongings, secured their sole suitcase to their home, a temporary shelter made of bamboo and banana leaves that was built following the previous destructive flood in the region just two years earlier. With the rising waters, their house became isolated in muddy floodwaters, forcing the family to prepare meals on a dry elevated spot nearby. However, a tragic event occurred when Begum left her one-year-old daughter, Lamia Khatun, on a raised area while she washed clothes in the floodwaters on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the waters continued to rise. Begum, 32, recounted that upon her return, she discovered that the person she was looking for had disappeared, only to later find her lifeless body. Throughout southern Asia, over 4 million individuals have been severely impacted by monsoon floods that have wiped out homes, submerged entire communities, and left individuals stranded on rooftops awaiting rescue. The monsoon season, typically occurring from June to September, brings heavy rainfall that is essential for the region's agricultural sector. However, in recent years, the monsoon season has brought about cyclones and destructive floods, resulting in the displacement of millions of individuals in low-lying regions, especially in Bangladesh. Last year, the United Nations reported that at least 600 individuals lost their lives and over 25 million were affected by flooding caused by intense monsoon rains in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. In 2017, over 1,000 people lost their lives due to floods in South Asia. The heaviest rainfall has been recorded in northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal this year. Bangladeshi authorities have reported that flooding began in late June and is expected to continue this month, affecting more areas. Enamur Rahman, the Bangladeshi minister for disaster management, stated that the floods were the worst in decades, leaving hundreds of thousands of families stranded. Over 1,000 emergency shelters have been opened to assist those affected by the disaster. Rahman emphasized that every available resource is being utilized to combat the catastrophe. Experts have cautioned that this year's rains and floods are expected to last for an extended period. They have also issued a warning that Bangladesh, which has a population exceeding 160 million, could lose over 10% of its land to rising sea levels due to climate change, potentially displacing as many as 18 million people. India has also been severely impacted, with floods affecting several states in the eastern part of the country, resulting in the deaths of at least 85 people and affecting over 3 million individuals. In Assam, Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage site housing the vulnerable one-horned Indian rhinoceros, has been completely submerged. Authorities reported that over 50 animals perished in the flooding, but some wildlife was saved. Rescue efforts have been conducted in 22 districts in Assam, where more than a dozen rivers and tributaries have risen above dangerous levels. In Nepal, the National Emergency Operation Center stated that 67 individuals have died and 40 are still unaccounted for. This is occurring alongside the monsoons that have impacted Bangladesh, a low-lying and heavily populated country with 165 million inhabitants that is frequently devastated by floods. In Jamalpur, located in the northern region, the flood situation has reached a critical point as rivers are currently 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 devastation of losing his home multiple times in the past decade. This has left him with nothing except the clothes on his back. Muneeb-ul-Islam and his family are just a few of over 1 million individuals in Bangladesh who have been displaced or left homeless due to the floods. Muneeb-ul-Islam expressed his frustration by saying, "It feels like we have done something wrong. This will be the third time in recent years that we will have to start our lives from scratch." Begum, who tragically lost her 1-year-old child, described the flood as completely destroying her life. She has relocated to a nearby shelter, which is a school building, where hundreds of people are crowded together. There is a great concern about the coronavirus spreading in such close quarters. Begum's family expressed that they were not adequately warned about the extent of the flooding. "I will never return to our previous home," she stated. "The water has taken everything from us."