According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, all the major rivers of the country are flowing below the danger level. In the last two days, no significant rainfall was observed in the border areas of the northeastern and eastern districts of Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Feni and in the upstream basins of India's Tripura province.
Meanwhile, low pressure over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining southern Bangladesh has weakened and heavy rain is not expected in the south and southwestern parts of the country. As a result, the rivers in this region may have normal flow.
The overall flood situation in the country’s northeast and southeast districts especially Feni, Cumilla, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, Chattogram, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur and Cox's Bazar and adjoining upstream regions continued to improve as rainfall and upstream water flow decreased along with the reduction in water levels in various rivers. Floodwater has begun to recede from various houses, prompting some families to return home from shelters.
However, the deluge left a trail of devastation in different upazilas of the affected districts. The flood uncovered a landscape of widespread devastation dotted by shattered homes, educational institutions, business establishments and other infrastructures, washed-out farmlands and broken roads. Although the situation shows signs of improvement, the miseries of lakhs of people in the affected areas are far from over. Many people returned home from various institutional shelters and saw their houses were completely or partially destroyed in floods. Besides, a large number of houses are still waterlogged while croplands under threat of severe river erosion.
Although the situation shows
signs of improvement, the miseries
of lakhs of people in the affected
areas are far from over
The worst-affected families are worrying over a return to normal life as they remain stranded far from home in makeshift shelters. The affected people are passing days in extreme misery amid an acute crisis of food and pure drinking water and the spread of waterborne diseases. As per Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus’s order, all concerned particularly the field-level administration must prompt measures to ease the sufferings of the flood-affected people. But we still see the flood victims are desperately looking for relief, especially in the remote areas. They are rushing to any approaching boat or vehicles in the hope of receiving relief items. Besides, the risk of an outbreak of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases is also high in flood-affected areas.
As Bangladesh is a riverine country, a good number of people are living across the riverbanks and char areas. These people are affected by floods almost every year. The local administration will have to intensify its efforts for distributing relief materials in the worst-affected areas.
Simultaneously, department of health must take measures to prevent any outbreak of waterborne diseases in flood-affected areas. Many flood-hit people do not have cash money to repair their damaged houses, business establishments and other infrastructures or purchase food.
The affected people are also being compelled to sell their cattle as it has become very difficult for them to feed their livestock. The authorities concerned must help the affected people in repairing the damaged houses on an emergency basis. The damaged and affected educational institutions, business establishments, important infrastructures, roads and embankments will have to be repaired immediately to protect the lives and livelihoods of people. We urge the businesspeople especially wholesale and retail traders of the country to make minimum profits in sales of rice, wheat, puffed rice, flattened rice, sugar, dry foods, medicines, saline, child foods, and other essential items under such circumstances.
We saw people from all walks of life irrespective of their class and creed including students, business community, and various voluntary organisations standing by the affected people with various relief and essential items. Let us devote ourselves, being imbued with the spirit of student-people’s uprising, for the betterment of the deluge-hit people.
