Sylhet Correspondent :
The people of the region are heavily reliant on the cultivation of one agricultural crop, however, according to DAE, 90% of the Boro paddy in Sunamganj district was destroyed this year because of the unexpected flash floods.
The Haor basin experiences yearly flash floods and covers Netrokona, Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Hobignaj and Sylhet.
Three months after the devastating flash floods in the Haor basin region of Sunamganj, many people are still waiting for aid to reach them.
Locals blame the delay on nepotism by local government officials and a lack of funding from the government.
The people of the region are heavily reliant on the cultivation of one agricultural crop: Boro paddy. However, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), 90% of the Boro paddy in Sunamganj district was destroyed this year because of the unexpected flash floods in April, which happened three weeks before the harvest was due.
Azahar Ali, the chairman of Bordol Union Parishad under Tahirpur Upazilla of Sunamganj said, “Because we have no emergency funds, when the yearly flash floods happen we cannot provide the kind of instant support people need,”
The UP chairman said the emergency funds are first needed to quickly rebuild the crop protection embankments when they start to break.
“But because the money comes from the Upazila Parishad or District Office that does not have an emergency funds we cannot first take preventive measures or attend to those who have been affected by the floods immediately,” he said.
Pronoti Saha from Borogaon village in Sunamganj claimed her family only received one aid instalment of 10kgs of rice during the entire relief work that has been continuous since the flash floods in April.
Tahirpur Upazilla chairman, Kamrul Hasan, described such incidents as “rare”, but conceded they can happen in remote areas.
“It is unacceptable that UP members are trying to only provide aid to areas that serve as their voter bank,” he said.
The Haor basin experiences yearly flash floods and covers Netrokona, Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Hobignaj and Sylhet.
Considering the damage caused and the area’s vulnerability, the government has declared that affected families will be supported by different safety net mechanisms including Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), Open Market Sale (OMS) and Gratuitous Relief, until the next Haor basin harvest in April 2018.
Under the VGF, a vulnerable family is supposed to receive 30Kgs of rice and Tk500 a month.
Tahirpur Upazilla Parishad chairman told that creating emergency funds for the Union Parishad is necessary as they are the primary respondents during a disaster.
“This will make their emergency response quicker and have them make important decisions in time that can save lives,” he said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sunamgnaj district Kamruzzaman said: “Usually, the Union Parisahd is supposed to have a emergency fund by raising money. But some of them cannot do that because they do not have their own source of income such as tax, etc.”
NGOs help bridge aid gap in Haor basin
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and relief agencies have been providing aid to the people affected by the flash floods in the Haor (wetlands) basin region in April, since the government has been struggling to reach such a large number of people in time.
Government data shows 900,000 hectares of Boro paddy land was damaged, with five million people directly or indirectly affected by the flash floods in the north-eastern Haor basin.
Sunamganj district administration data shows more than 300,000 families were affected in the district, but the government was only able to support 168,000 families by providing Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) support that consists of 30kgs of rice and Tk500. The rest of the flood affected people have had to rely on help from NGOs and voluntary agencies.
Flash floods are common in the Haor basin druing the pre-monsoon period, but poor management of the rivers and embankments, and the decline in the navigability of the rivers have worsened the situation over the years.
Sunamganj district administration data shows more than 300,000 families were affected in the district, but the government was only able to support 168,000 families
The people of the region are heavily reliant on the cultivation of one agricultural crop, however, according to DAE, 90% of the Boro paddy in Sunamganj district was destroyed this year because of the unexpected flash floods.
The Haor basin experiences yearly flash floods and covers Netrokona, Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Hobignaj and Sylhet.
Three months after the devastating flash floods in the Haor basin region of Sunamganj, many people are still waiting for aid to reach them.
Locals blame the delay on nepotism by local government officials and a lack of funding from the government.
The people of the region are heavily reliant on the cultivation of one agricultural crop: Boro paddy. However, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), 90% of the Boro paddy in Sunamganj district was destroyed this year because of the unexpected flash floods in April, which happened three weeks before the harvest was due.
Azahar Ali, the chairman of Bordol Union Parishad under Tahirpur Upazilla of Sunamganj said, “Because we have no emergency funds, when the yearly flash floods happen we cannot provide the kind of instant support people need,”
The UP chairman said the emergency funds are first needed to quickly rebuild the crop protection embankments when they start to break.
“But because the money comes from the Upazila Parishad or District Office that does not have an emergency funds we cannot first take preventive measures or attend to those who have been affected by the floods immediately,” he said.
Pronoti Saha from Borogaon village in Sunamganj claimed her family only received one aid instalment of 10kgs of rice during the entire relief work that has been continuous since the flash floods in April.
Tahirpur Upazilla chairman, Kamrul Hasan, described such incidents as “rare”, but conceded they can happen in remote areas.
“It is unacceptable that UP members are trying to only provide aid to areas that serve as their voter bank,” he said.
The Haor basin experiences yearly flash floods and covers Netrokona, Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Hobignaj and Sylhet.
Considering the damage caused and the area’s vulnerability, the government has declared that affected families will be supported by different safety net mechanisms including Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD), Open Market Sale (OMS) and Gratuitous Relief, until the next Haor basin harvest in April 2018.
Under the VGF, a vulnerable family is supposed to receive 30Kgs of rice and Tk500 a month.
Tahirpur Upazilla Parishad chairman told that creating emergency funds for the Union Parishad is necessary as they are the primary respondents during a disaster.
“This will make their emergency response quicker and have them make important decisions in time that can save lives,” he said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sunamgnaj district Kamruzzaman said: “Usually, the Union Parisahd is supposed to have a emergency fund by raising money. But some of them cannot do that because they do not have their own source of income such as tax, etc.”
NGOs help bridge aid gap in Haor basin
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and relief agencies have been providing aid to the people affected by the flash floods in the Haor (wetlands) basin region in April, since the government has been struggling to reach such a large number of people in time.
Government data shows 900,000 hectares of Boro paddy land was damaged, with five million people directly or indirectly affected by the flash floods in the north-eastern Haor basin.
Sunamganj district administration data shows more than 300,000 families were affected in the district, but the government was only able to support 168,000 families by providing Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) support that consists of 30kgs of rice and Tk500. The rest of the flood affected people have had to rely on help from NGOs and voluntary agencies.
Flash floods are common in the Haor basin druing the pre-monsoon period, but poor management of the rivers and embankments, and the decline in the navigability of the rivers have worsened the situation over the years.
Sunamganj district administration data shows more than 300,000 families were affected in the district, but the government was only able to support 168,000 families
