Md. Habibur Rahman :
Nature does not compromise It flows in its own way and builds up its empire. Sometimes, some people utilize water resources for their own business, which hampers the natural flow of water. It also creates some hurdles to water resource governance. Moreover, water security is related to inclusive economic growth and people’s wellbeing. As a result, we must proceed with caution in order to preserve the water resources and their governance.
Some people have lost everything due to the floods of June, 2022. Their dreams remained unfulfilled because of this sudden flood. They lost their crops, fish from ponds, houses, and other necessities of life. A flood is a natural disaster during the rainy season. Floods have wreaked havoc in Bangladesh’s Northwestern, Northeastern and some central regions this year. The sufferings of people know no bounds. Basically, this natural disaster affected severely the people of Sylhet, Netrokona, and Kurigram. Some other parts of the country were also affected by floods in the North and North-West districts, followed by Sylhet division (Habiganj, Sunammganj, and Moulviibazar), Dhaka division (Netrokona, and Rajbari), Rangpur division (Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, and Kurigram), Rajshahi division (Sirajganj and Bogura), Chattrogram division (Chandpur, and Brahmanbaria), and other districts of Bangladesh.
There are some reasons behind the floods in Bangladesh. Researchers, experts, and relevant stakeholders identify several causes behind the latest inundations. Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) has identified three main causes behind the recent floods in Bangladesh. Climate change is one of the main causes of the recent floods. Secondly, there are at least 16 international rivers in the Meghna river basin in the upper riparian country of India. There is no joint agreement on the maintenance of water and sediments between the two neighboring countries. Therefore, India can build up a barrage beside the trans-boundary rivers as they want. On the other hand, they can control the flow of water for their own sake. The gate of the barrage remains open and closes when it is needed. The joint initiative of upper and lower riparian countries will resolve the existing problems. Thirdly, illegal occupying of water resources, such as lifting sand from rivers indiscriminately, mismanagement and illegal occupying of rivers, illegal infrastructure development in or beside the river, and usage of enclosure methods are other causes of the current floods in Bangladesh.
It is well known to all that the cycle of disaster management includes mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The victims and concerned authorities manage it chronologically and in their own ways. Getting relief assistance to disaster-affected people is their rights as they are victims of the situation. We often forget it due to several issues of mind set-up and conventional factors. National and international stakeholders often provide relief assistance to victims of disasters to reduce their suffering. Sometimes they provide it after getting information about a natural or man-made disaster. However, the social media and main-stream media circulate the news among the people to assist them in due time. The young generation always plays a vital role in every aspect of national emergencies to assist victims. The role of youth in distributing relief and warm clothes is praiseworthy in disaster-affected areas.
The recovery from floods and disasters is a very difficult and long-term process. It has been observed that there is a lack of coordination and communication among philanthropic organizations and flood assistance providers in distributing relief goods. Some people allege that flood victims of remote areas in Sylhet and Sunamganj are often deprived of relief activities. After the issue was covered by the news, philanthropic people went there and helped them. Some people are sometimes given more than others. Therefore, we should engage local journalists, reporters, and community leaders to distribute relief systematically among all victims of floods and other natural disasters. Common people, other voluntary organizations, and NGOs are contributing tremendously to relief assistance programs during this flood, which is commendable and praiseworthy for us.
The authorities need to take proper measures to free the canals, rivers, and other water bodies from illegal encroachment. Water resources should be preserved in scientific ways, apart from artificial management and other anomalies. On the other hand, the government needs to continue the navigation process of the rivers over the years. Finally, the authorities need to build river barrages and embankments in order to control river erosion and overflow of water during the rainy seasons by consulting with experts. These above-mentioned remedies can reduce some of the damages suffered by flood-affected people during a flood.
(The writer is a poet, writer and researcher).
