If we had an arrangement in place we would get the warning in time

Kazi Kholiqzamman Ahmed, Bangladesh Development Council

Officials there are now saying they were caught by surprise because they received no warning from India.

The south-western part of Bangladesh is usually spared from annual flooding because its ground level is higher than the rest of the country.

Experts say the spill-over of waters from the flood-hit Indian state of West Bengal is responsible for this year's exceptional catastrophe in the area.

Flood management

The director of Bangladesh's Flood Information Centre, Akhter Hossain, told the BBC that the Indian authorities had not warned Bangladesh before opening some of their dams.

Had India done so, he said, the extent of damage could have been reduced and many lives saved.

The extent of the misery could have been minimised

This view is supported by many others who point to the lack of a regional flood management programme which could help India, Bangladesh and Nepal cope with what is becoming an annual problem.

Although these countries share information on common rivers, their agreement does not cover flood forecasting.

"If we had an arrangement in place we would get the warning in time so that we can put in [place] some of the measures by which the vulnerability can be minimised," Kazi Kholiqzamman Ahmed of the Bangladesh Development Council said.

Part of the reason for not having such a system in place, Mr Ahmed said, could be traced to the region's turbulent history and the mistrust between the nations.

The Bangladeshi Government says its priority now is to carry out relief operations.

But once the flood waters recede, it plans to investigate the causes of the latest disaster to hit the country.