Begum's family, in an effort to protect their limited belongings, secured their sole suitcase to their makeshift home made of bamboo and banana leaves that was built following the previous destructive flood in the region just two years earlier. When the floodwaters rose, their home became stranded in muddy water, forcing the family to cook on a dry elevated area nearby. Unfortunately, tragedy occurred when Begum left her 1-year-old daughter, Lamia Khatun, on higher ground while she washed clothes in the floodwaters on Tuesday. However, the water continued to rise. Begum, 32, recounted how she returned to find that the person was no longer there and later discovered her lifeless body. In southern Asia, over 4 million individuals have been severely impacted by monsoon floods, resulting in the destruction of homes and structures, the submerging of entire villages, and the need for people to seek refuge on rooftops. The monsoon season, typically occurring from June to September, brings heavy rainfall that is essential for South Asia's agricultural economy. However, in recent years, the monsoon season has brought cyclones and devastating floods, leading to the displacement of millions in low-lying areas, especially in Bangladesh. The previous year saw a minimum of 600 fatalities and over 25 million people affected by flooding due to the intense monsoon rains in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and Nepal, as reported by the United Nations. In 2017, over 1,000 people lost their lives due to 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 associated with the United Nations. The flooding in Bangladesh began in late June, and authorities anticipate it will continue this month, affecting more areas. Enamur Rahman, the Bangladeshi minister for disaster management, stated that the floods are the worst in decades, leaving hundreds of thousands of families stranded and requiring the opening of over 1,000 emergency shelters. Rahman emphasized that every available resource is being utilized to combat the disaster. Researchers have warned that Bangladesh may lose more than 10% of its land to sea-level rise, displacing millions of people. India has also been severely affected by floods, with at least 85 deaths and millions affected in states like Assam, Bihar, and Odisha. Kaziranga National Park in Assam, home to the vulnerable one-horned Indian rhinoceros, has been completely flooded. Authorities reported that over 50 animals perished in the flood, but some wildlife was saved. Rescue efforts have been conducted in 22 districts in Assam, where more than a dozen rivers and tributaries have exceeded the danger level. In Nepal, 67 individuals have lost their lives and 40 are unaccounted for, according to the National Emergency Operation Center. This is in addition to the monsoons that have hit Bangladesh, a low-lying and heavily populated country with 165 million inhabitants, which is regularly devastated by flooding. In Jamalpur, located in the northern part of Bangladesh, the flood situation has escalated to a critical level, with rivers overflowing significantly above the danger mark. Muneeb-ul-Islam, a 42-year-old resident of the area, shared that he has experienced the devastation of losing his home multiple times over the past decade, leaving him with only the clothes on his back. Along with his wife and three children, Muneeb-ul-Islam is one of over 1 million people in Bangladesh who have been displaced or rendered homeless by the floods. He expressed feeling as though he and his family are being punished, stating that this will be the third time in recent years that they have had to start over from nothing. Another resident named Begum, who tragically lost her 1-year-old child, described her life as completely shattered. She has relocated to a nearby shelter, which is a school building, where hundreds of people are crowded together. The fear of the coronavirus spreading in such close quarters is a major concern. Begum's family expressed that they were not adequately warned about the extent of the flooding. She stated, "I will never return to our previous home. The water has taken everything from us."