Millions in this country are stranded by flooding. Many blame their neighbor

Feni, Bangladesh CNN —

Wading through muddy floodwaters up to chest height, hundreds of people slowly make their way to safety, their belongings held high above their heads to keep them dry.

Entering the city of Feni in southeast Bangladesh, it becomes clear why it is described as the epicenter of one of the country’s worst floods in living memory. Since Wednesday night, water has inundated 11 districts, and large swathes of the city of nearly 1.5 million people are now submerged.

Bangladesh lives on its rivers and waterways — its people relying on the vital life source for fishing and farming rice paddies. The country is also well-acquainted with flooding and cyclones — especially in recent years, as scientists say human-caused climate change exacerbates extreme weather events.

But this flood took them by surprise – and people here blame officials in India.

People in the Bangladeshi city of Feni, home to 1.5 million, blame India for recent flooding.

Dozens of people CNN met in Feni – which is only a few miles from the India border – accused New Delhi of releasing water from the Dumbur dam in neighboring Tripura state with no warning.

As we waded past their homes, some people shouted, “We hate India” and “This is Indian water.”

“They opened the gate, but no information was given,” said Shoriful Islam, 29, an IT worker who returned to his hometown from the capital Dhaka to volunteer in rescue efforts.

India denied the dam release was deliberate and said excessive rain was a factor – although it conceded that a power outage and communications breakdown meant they failed to issue the usual warning to neighbors downstream.

“India used a water weapon,” Islam said. “India is taking revenge for destroying the last