Clicky
Country

Children in uncertainty!

Flood washes away dreams


Published : 20 Jun 2022 08:23 PM | Updated : 14 Sep 2022 01:58 AM

It was almost midnight when water started to enter their house. Josna Begum was in the house with her children and her husband was outside at work at the time. With no electricity in the dead of night, they got scared and were at loss. They tried to save their belongings at home as much as they could by keeping them stored on higher shelves. However, they could not keep up with the pace and intensity of the floodwater. Most of their educational materials such as books and stationery and their poultry birds were washed away by the floodwater. This happened to the family of Josna Begum, 40, a resident of Umorpur village under Dakshin Badaghat union of Bishwamvarpur Upazila in Sunamgonj, right in front of their eyes. 

Her husband, Md Shamsul Haq, is a boatman and her two elder daughters, Yesmin Akter, 22, and Muslima Akter, 19, are high school students. Everything was going as usual for the family until the flash flood hit their area.    

“Our house and schools are now half-submerged in floodwater and destroyed to some extent. We couldn’t even study at home as electricity was disrupted during the flood in the first few days. We have exams upcoming but because of the flood, we couldn’t take any preparation,” said Yesmin.

She said they used to get scared after dusk as darkness engulfed everything in the first few days. Roads were damaged and there was a scarcity of boats, the only means to go outside during flood, she added. 

“Almost every year, we’re affected by recurring floods, but this year the damage is colossal. We’ve already been lagging behind in studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now this flood has just worsened the situation.  We’ve been trying to continue our study with the limited resources we’re left with. We’re using candles to study at night, but it’s hard for a large family like ours,” said Yesmin.

Describing their flood-induced plights, she said, “When I was in the 10th grade, I bought a hen with my savings from tiffin. Later, I bought several hens and ducks and raised them up. I used to bear my daily expenses, including the cost of education materials, with the earnings from this small initiative. But this flood washed away all my poultry birds, shattering my dream. I was so upset. Now we’re worried about returning to education institutions.”

The flood has affected not only their learning but also their family income. They had paddy, peanuts and cattle at home – all are now gone with the floodwater. There is no food in their home for the last three days. With an uncertain future, Josna and her children are now spending days literally at the mercy of nature.  

Md Shamsul Haq said, “We live with floods. But in my life, I have never seen a flood like this. My children are starving. There is also a shortage of drinking water.”

Md Said Ur Rahim Zadid, UNO of Bishwambarpur Upazila of Sunamganj, said the area is facing the worst flood in history in the district. " Bishwambarpur upazila has also been flooded. We’re offering support to the flood-affected people by combining various initiatives of the government and the private sector. Long-term impacts are common in flood-affected areas. We hope all will come forward with a helping hand to improve the condition of our area.’’