THE overall flood situation of the country has worsened as new areas have been inundated due to the rise in water levels in almost all major rivers during the past couple of days. Around 18 per cent of Bangladesh has been affected by the floods and the suffering of people knows no bounds. Water bodies such as the Dharla at Kurigram, the Ghagot at Gaibandha, the Brahmaputra at Chilmari, the Jamuna at Bahadurabad, Sariakandi, Sirajganj, and Aricha were flowing above their respective danger marks yesterday, according to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) as well as the Gour at Singra, the Atrai at Baghabari, the Dhaleswari at Elasin, the Lakhya at Lakhpur and Narayanganj, the Kaliganga at Taraghat, the Padma at Goalundo, Bhagyakul, Sureshwar, Old Surma at Derai and the Kangsha at Jariajanjail.The flood situation in the districts of Shariatpur, Madaripur, Munshiganj, Rajbari and Faridpur may continue to deteriorate in the next two days and ferry services have also been threatened due to strong current. Severe erosion has already damaged over 40,000 houses and standing crops on 62,000 hectares of land submerged. Flood-related diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia have started to spread in the affected areas as many of the places are under water for more than two weeks. The marooned need immediate relief materials such as dry food, pure drinking water, medicines, kerosene oil and matchboxes. Although distribution of relief materials and cash among the flood-hit people have already been initiated with local bodies, it is still the bare minimum considering the immediate growing need. Embankments in Bogra were wiped out due to strong currents of the Jamuna river and the flooding has worsened. Crops on several hundred hectares of land in the area have also been deluged.The government has allocated 100 tonnes of rice and Tk 230,000 in cash for affected people. Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management has allocated a total of 500 tonnes of rice and Tk 11 lakh for the flood victims as well. Considering thousands of people that are being adversely affected every hour and losing all of their possessions, such meagre means of ‘relief’ is not enough to sustain their lives and therefore, the government needs to employ a better disaster management system so that the flood situation can be tackled better. As flood is an almost annual phenomenon, it is a shame that the government has not yet been able to create or implement an effective disaster management scheme to help people survive. Enough is enough, this situation needs to change. If nature will not make it better, the government should at least try.
