Staff Reporter :
Assets and crops of more than Tk86,811.66 crore were damaged during the recent floods hit in the country in second week of May this year, according to the estimate of the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry.
The information was disseminated in a press briefing held in the ministry on Monday after the meeting of the ‘Inter-Ministerial Disaster Management Coordination Committee’ held with State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr. Enamur Rahman in the chair.
Later, the State Minister briefed media about the damages and the initiatives that the government has taken to recover the huge amount of losses of the flood affected people and regions.
Dr. Enamur said in the second week of May, heavy rainfall was recorded in the country’s north and eastern region. Heavy rain shower also occurred in the Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura region in India during the period. “As a result, the rivers of Sylhet region started flowing above the danger level due to the heavy rainfall and upstream water entered into Bangladesh through the rivers. As a result, flood situation was created in Sylhet and Sunamganj and nearby districts in mid-May and it spread in 18 districts gradually,” he added. The State Minister said that crops of some Tk1,258.54 crore was damaged completely while crops of some Tk55,957.21 crore was damaged partially by the flood.
During the flood, houses of Tk364.85 crore was damaged completely and 1,355.03 crore was damaged partially. Besides, bridges, culverts, pucca roads, brick-build road and soil roads, educational institutions, mosques, madrashahs, temples and dams were also damaged in the flood. The total amount of damages raised at Tk 86,811.66 crore, Enamur said.
The State Minister informed that the government has tried to stand beside the affected people during the massive period of floods and the Disaster Management Department has provided necessary relief supports among the flood victims.
Till July 21 from April 1 this year, the government has allocated 7,020 metric tonnes of rice, Taka nine crore cash, 1,40,132 packet dried and other foods, Tk40 lakh for buying baby foods, Tk40 lakh for cattle feed for the affected people. Besides, Tk2.61 lakh and 8,700 bundle corrugated iron sheets were also distributed among the flood victims for building houses, he added. Ministry’s Secretary Kamrul Hasan and senior officials of different ministries and divisions attended the inter-ministerial meeting and provided necessary information about the estimation of damages caused by the recent floods.
