People of flood affected districts have expressed their anger over the slow pace of relief operation and inadequate relief supplies.
According to our district correspondents, conditions of flood victims are dismal. Many people have no food and shelter while some others are drinking polluted water because they have been left with no alternative.
Relief operations have largely been concentrated on the victims who took shelter at the makeshift flood centers. As a result, majority victims have flown into fury.
A third of Bangladesh has gone under the floodwater affecting about 33 lakh people, said Secretary (current charge) for Disaster Management and Relief Md Golam Mostafa to the reporters at his office on Wednesday.
He said almost 1,599 shelters have been erected in flood-affected districts and about 4.11 lakh people took shelter in these shelters.
The water breached flood fences inundating dozens of low-lying northern districts forcing residents to flee to makeshift shelters on higher ground, roads and embankments.
“We are hungry and homeless. But we are yet to get relief from the local administration,” said a group of flood victim at Gangachara upazila in Rangpur district, to The New Nation yesterday.
At least 1.5 lakh people of six upazilas–Gangachhara, Pirgachha, Badarganj, Taraganj, Pirganj and Kaunia– in Rangpur have been badly hit by flood.
At least 70,000 people in 50 villages of Gangachhara upazila have been affected and many of them are yet to get any relief, said a local union parishad chairman.
“Supplies of relief goods are poor causing fury among the flood victims,” he said.
He also demanded adequate relief and compensation for flood victims.
Upazila administration admitted the dismal situation and said that submerged roads are hindering the relief operation.
Similar reports are coming from other flood-affected northern districts like Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram.
“We are stranded by flood for the last three days. We get no relief from local administration,” Shafir Ali told The New Nation yesterday.
Shafir Ali (50), a resident of Ramaniganj village of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat district, and his family took shelter on Lalmonirhar-Burimari highway.
“The devastated flood rendered us homeless and we had taken shelter on road. We need tents, food and portable water,” he said.
More than 4.0 lakh people of the district have been marooned by flood.
The authorities admitted that the relief goods were inadequate and said submerged roads were the main cause of hurdles in the relief operation.
“We have come to know that flood victims are complaining of inadequate relief. Roads and railway communication have been overwhelmed by the floodwaters, isolating whole of northern part from the rest of the country and severely hampering the relief operation,” said Md Golam Mostafa.
“We have directed officials to speed up rescue and relief operations in the flood affected areas,” he added.
He further said affected people would not be left alone in this hour of critical juncture, and all necessary support would be extended to mitigate their suffering.
