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Scientists say that climate change was likely to have made the rains that unleashed catastrophic flooding across Bangladesh worse, Reuters reported.

While South Asia's monsoon rains follow natural atmospheric patterns, the rains will become more erratic and torrential as global temperatures continue to climb, scientists say.

It would take months to determine exactly how much of a role climate change played in last week's heavy rains.

But scientists note that warmer air can hold more water vapour before rain clouds eventually burst, meaning more rain eventually pours down.

"The strong monsoon winds in the Bay of Bengal can carry a lot more moisture," said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. "The large amount of rainfall that we see now might be a climate change impact."

The South Asia monsoon season, from June to September, is governed by several, overlapping patterns in the ocean and atmosphere, including the El Nino-La Nina weather cycle and the Indian Ocean Dipole. Currently, those systems are driving strong, southwesterly winds over the Bay of Bengal, according to Reuters.

But the monsoon patterns have shifted in recent decades, as the average temperature for Bangladesh has risen at least 0.5 degrees Celsius since 1976.

"Instead of having moderate rains spread out through the monsoon season, we have long dry periods intermittently with short spells of heavy rains," Koll said. "When it rains, it dumps all that moisture in a few hours to a few days."

On Tuesday, Bangladeshi troops were navigating dinghys through brackish floodwaters to rescue those in need or deliver food and water to some of the 9.5 million people marooned. Officials say at least 69 people have died in the disaster.

Last week's heavy rains, which caused Bangladesh's rivers to breach their banks, followed less than a month after the neighbouring Indian state of Assam was hit by similar rain-triggered flooding, which killed at least 25 people there, Reuters reported.

Bangladesh is considered one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, with a 2015 analysis by the World Bank Institute estimating about 3.5 million Bangladeshis are at risk of river flooding every year. The floods also threaten the country’s agriculture, infrastructure and clean water supply.

The region's countries "all suffer if there’s no rain. They suffer when there’s too much rain," said Anders Levermann, a climate scientist at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Columbia University. "What they would need is a steady rainfall, as we had in the past and as is threatened now under global warming."

Nepal reported 19 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 731 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 14 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 083  people underwent antigen tests, of which five were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 10 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 124 active cases in the country.

The Airlines Operators’ Association of Nepal has decided to halt all the services from tomorrow.

The Association decided to suspend all the flights demanding withdrawal of irresponsible decisions made by the Ministry of Cultural, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Nepal Civil Aviation Authority.

Issuing a statement on Tuesday, the airlines operators said that they were forced to halt all the services after the government did not address their demands.

The Airlines Operators’ Association has been demanding that the government roll back all its decisions at the earliest.

The government has been saying that the planes and helicopters of the private sector cannot park in the Tribhuvan International Airport and also has been saying that there should be two pilots on a single-engine helicopter among others.

Saying that there are lack of technicians and various physical infrastructure has also not been developed properly in other airports, the airlines operators said that they have not option than to park the planes and helicopters in the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The flood situation in Assam deteriorated further on Monday with the death of 11 more persons, taking the death toll to 81, officials said, adding that around 48 lakh people have been affected in 32 of the state's 34 districts, Business Standard reported.

Even as the national and state agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force, are working round-the-clock in the relief and rescue operations, the Assamgovernment has asked the Army to be on stand-by mode to reach out to the affected people.

According to the officials of the AssamState Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the fresh deaths were reported from eight districts while seven persons are missing in five districts.

The officials said that since April this year, due to pre-monsoon and monsoon rain, 64 people including children and women were killed while 17 people died due to landslides.

An ASDMA bulletin on Monday night said that 47,72,140 people, including 10,43,382 children, have been affected by the floods.

In all, 810 relief camps and 615 relief distribution centres have been opened in all the affected areas. A total of 2,31,819 people are staying in the relief camps while over 1,13,485 hectares of crops have been damaged, according to Business Standard.

The water in five rivers -- Brahmaputra, Kopili, Beki, Pagladiya, Puthimari -- is flowing above the danger level at several places.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "Hon HM Amit Shah Ji called twice since morning to enquire about the flood situation in Assam. He informed that a team of officials shall soon be sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to assess the damages caused by the natural calamity. Grateful to HM for his help."

Sarma on Monday held a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners to review the prevailing flood situation.

Considering the widespread damage caused by the floods, Sarma asked the DCs to use the services of NDRF and State Disaster Response Force personnel and if required the Army to reach out to the marooned people.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia in a letter to Prime minister Narendra Modi has sought special central assistance for flood-ravaged Assam, Business Standard reported.