SEASON of floods has not yet arrived. Even in this pre-monsoon period, thousands in Sylhet have been marooned by flood caused by heavy rainfall and onrush of water from the hills over the last several days. According to a report in this newspaper on Tuesday, Surma and Kushiara Rivers were flowing above the danger levels. Not only the low lying areas of Sylhet have been submerged, floodwater and wastes from the overflowing drains are entering the Sylhet city causing lives of the inhabitants miserable.
While it is urgently necessary to take measures to relieve the woes of city residents, it is also important to see whether the poor people in flooded areas need urgent relief materials. During this time, they need food and shelter on the one hand, and as the flood water recedes they will need medicine to fight water-borne diseases like diarrhoea and skin diseases on the other.
Every year, Bangladesh faces floods and very often it is hit by severe floods. If past experiences are anything to go by, after the present excessive summer heat, Bangladesh will very likely witness a heavy rainfall in the coming monsoon and, as usual, country’s most parts of the country will go under water. Therefore, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief must be well prepared beforehand.
Weather conditions of India can tell a lot about what may happen in Bangladesh, particularly about floods, since it shares 54 common rivers with that country. Following India’s weather data, especially the condition of the relevant rivers, we can beforehand know what we should do. Even now, it is raining in the Indian subcontinent upstream and as a result, according to the Sylhet Meteorological Department, waters of rivers in the district will continue to rise.
Moreover, due to climate change, the frequency of floods and cyclones has also increased, and this warrants for taking up flood protection programmes for a longer term. So, if necessary, a fresh geographical study of the country with the position of its rivers can be made, and risk and vulnerability of areas assessed. If our flood preparedness plan is devised accordingly to channel rain water to go to rivers and then finally to sea, and this plan is materialised properly, the year-round problem can be greatly addressed.
