Although the ongoing flood situation has started improving in all the northern districts, most of the victims, particularly in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, are yet to return to their homes due to lack of adequate food, pure drinking water and necessary medicines.
Besides, many of the victims have lost their homes and other belongings, including domestic animals, alongside with extensive damage of the Aman paddy, vegetables and other seasonal crops. They are still residing on the embankments and shelter centres amid severe hardship.
The allocation of the government for the flood-affected people is very poor against the needs, as it has allocated only Tk. 8 in cash per head while less than four kilograms of rice.
According to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the government has so far allocated a total of Tk 1,56,50,000 for the flood victims in 20 districts and 7,550 metric tones of rice. The number of flood affected people is over two millions. The officials of the department said that the government would allocate sufficient fund to repair the village roads and generate employment in the flood-affected areas under the UGPP, Kabikha and TR programmes.
The flood also hit the vegetable market in the capital city, as the traders are demanding higher prices from the people citing the floods in the northern districts.
The traders said that that the supply of the vegetables has been reduced due to the floods. Some items of vegetables, including green chilli, come to Dhaka city from the northern districts, accounting for 30 percent of the demand for vegetables in the capital city. However, there is an adequate supply of vegetables in city from other parts of the country, including Comilla, Savar, Narsingdi and Manikganj.
Lokman Hossain, a trader leader of Karwan Bazar, said that the supply chain has been disrupted as floodwaters have spoiled most vegetable fields in the northern region. Demand is high while supply is low. In this backdrop, they have been compelled to charge higher prices, he added. The vegetable fields remained under water is several districts and for this reason the production was damaged. Floodwaters also hit transport to carry the vegetables. The movement of trucks and covered vans on the roads in the northern regions fell by 25 per cent owing to the floods, he said. Despite falls in the water levels, the water at least in 4 river stations was flowing above danger levels on Saturday, according to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). Ripon Karmaker, Assistant Engineer of the FFWC, said that the Dhaleshwari was flowing above 11 cm of danger level at Elashin point and 6 cm at Jagir point while Lakhya was flowing above 70 cm at Lakhpur point and Kangsha was flowing 30 cm at Jariajanjail point. He also said that the flood would improve further in the coming days in the all the districts.
When the water levels are in the reducing trend, the health situation is deteriorating in the flood-affected areas as people continue to fall prey to a range of waterborne diseases due to lack of pure drinking water and sanitation. For this reason, the flood-affected people remain at risk of death with acute respiratory infection alongside with drowning and snakebite.
At least seven people have died in the floods in the last two weeks. People in six districts — Sirajganj, Bogura, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Tangail and Jamalpur– are at greater risk of such deaths. In the latest report, a three-year old child drowned in a canal in Jhalokati on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Mahim of Nurullahpur village under Ponabaria Union of the Sadar upazila.
