Sylhet Correspondent :
Although the flood situation is improving in the district, the affected people and domestic animals have been facing acute shortage of food and fodder.
The people of low-lying flooded areas have lost their earning sources with the loss of crops in the fields that have remained under water for about 15 days. The poor people are passing their time without work. The relief they have received from district administration was not enough to meet their requirement. Besides, the fodder scarcity has remained a major concern for the people, who are still perched on high lands or roads with the cattle.
Farmers in the area fear of outbreak of foot and mouth disease of cows in the flood affected areas. People, especially those live in shoals (chars), are concerned for their cattle, the only asset that has survived the onslaught of erosion of the river Surma and flooding of the low-lying areas of Sylhet district.
But health of the animals is deteriorating for want of fodder. Most of people have kept the animals on high land. Others are rearing the cattle on banana rafts.
Livestock Officer Sylhe said, ‘Khura (food and mouth disease) may attack any time. We have been started vaccination programme to prevent its outbreak.
‘We have taken a record of the flood affected animals in order to provide them fodder and vaccination,’ he said
