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6 SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2017 DT News Little relief for flood-hit people • Abu Siddique CURRENT AFFAIRS Though the government’s emergency relief supplies apparently put a little bit of smile on the faces of people badly affected by the ongoing floods in northern and north-eastern regions of the country, the amount of aid an individual victim receives is too scanty to meet their needs. The government has allocated 3.18kg rice and Tk10 as general relief to a victim. According to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), the flooding has left 1,140,849 families – involving a total of 5,018,706 people — severely affected in 27 districts in the regions. Asked if the amount of relief allotted to a victim would suffice to meet his or her needs, DDM Director Abu Sayed Mohamamd Hashim told the Dhaka Tribune: “It may seem to you that we have allocated a small amount of relief supplies, but the people are getting more than allocated.” “Not all of the affected will come to take the aid because many do not feel comfortable with taking relief and assistance from the government or other agencies thanks to their social status. Hence, those who are going to take the relief supplies are certainly getting much more than expected,” he explained. The government allocated 16,004 tonnes of rice (16,004,000kgs) and Tk49,881,950 as relief. The district authorities concerned said they had already distributed a considerable amount of the emergency relief, but our district correspondents found a large number of the flood victims complaining that they had not received relief materials yet. Asked about this, Hashim said: “The government has been distributing relief supplies through elected public representatives at the union parishad level. They are distributing the materials according to the people’s needs. “Some people may be missed out. In such case, they should contact the local authorities involved in the distribution process.” The money and rice apart, the government allocated some 36,500 packets contacting dry food items, drinking water, matchboxes and candles. So far, 77 people died and 14 others went missing in the devastating floods that have been continuing for over a week. Agricultural Damage According to the DDM data, the monsoon floods, trigged by incessant downpours in catchment areas of the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, caused damage to 618,709 hectares of cropland. The damaged crops include Aman on 8,000 hectares and Aush on 8,000 hectares of land. Flood situation According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC), floodwaters have been receding into different areas from the northern districts including Gaibandha, Bogra and Sirajganj. A FFWC bulletin yesterday said water levels are rising in the Ganges and Kushiyara and falling in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Surma rivers. It added that water levels in the Ganges are likely to further increase in the next 48 hours. “Floodwaters have started flowing into the Brahmaputra and Surma rivers. As of yesterday, it was receding at a rate of one foot per day, which indicates that the flooding will not continue for a longer period as expected,” said Sazzad Hossain, executive engineer of the FFWC. However, water is still flowing above the danger level at 28 out of 90 measuring stations in all three basins including the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. At the same time, water levels have risen at 36 points in rivers across the country. Water is flowing 75cm above the danger level at Bahadurabad points of the Jamauna river, 76cm at Sariakandi points, 116cm at Kazipur points and 118cm at Sirajganj points of the Jamuna, and 106cm at Goalanda poits and at 49cm at Bhagyakul points of the Padma. • Flood situation worsens in three districts • Tribune Desk CURRENT AFFAIRS Though flood situation in northern districts showed signs of improvement with water level in all major rivers falling below the danger mark, the situation of Gaibandha, Natore and Rajshahi deteriorated till Saturday morning. In Gaibandha, overall situation of Sadullapur, Gobindaganj, Palashbari and Sadar upazilas in the district deteriorated inundating fresh areas as the Karatoa river marked rise during the period, reports our correspondent. The officials of Water Development Board said with the rise of water level in the Karatoa, 12 unions and Gobindaganj municipality of Gobindaganj upazila were flooded and 29,000 families had been marooned and many of them had taken shelter on the nearby embankment, said M Zahirul Islam, upazila project implementation officer (PIO). Five unions including Kishorgari and Hossainpur of Palashbari upazilas were also submerged and as many as 17,000 families were marooned and passing their days and nights in trouble, said M Shahinur Alam, PIO of the upazila. A portion of Karatoa Flood Control Embankment at Cherenga area of Darbasta union of Gobindaganj upazila had been washed away due to the pressure of the river water resulting fresh areas of the union had been inundated, said executive engineer of BWDB M Mahbubur Rahman. Due to flood, a total of 13,860 hectares of land of standing crops particularly T-Aman paddy, Aman seed bed and summer vegetables of the upazilas went under flood water, said deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension AKM Ruhul Amin. As many as 118 government primary Flood victim people of Ratanpur village at Phulchhari in Gaibandha take shelter on boat as their homes inundated in recent flood across the country. The picture was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE schools of the upazilas had been closed and the academic activities had also been suspended there temporarily as the flood water entered the schools, said M. Aminul Islam Mondal, district primary education officer. In Natore, the situation in Singra upazila deteriorated as the water of the Atrai River was flowing 70cm above the danger mark. Paddy in 800 bighas of land in Temuk Nowdapara beel went under water as gushing water was entering through a damaged dam on the Sidhakhali River. According to reports of our Rajshahi correspondent, the floodwater engulfed Tanore, Mohanpur and Bagmara upazilas of the district when an embankment of the Shiba River collapsed in Bhimnagar area under Mohanpur upazila inundating around 350 ponds. The devastating flood washed fishes worth around Tk1.17 crore way from 350 commercial fish farming ponds in the district. “The loss caused by the deluge in Tanore, Mohanpur and Bagmara is worst,” said Subhash Chandra Saha, District Fisheries Officer. Around 53.25 metric tons of fishes worth about Tk1.17 crore in 320 ponds in Bagmara,Mohanpur and Puthiya upazilas were inundated by the floodwater, Besides, 1.12 tons of fish fingerlings valued at around Tk11 lakh were affected badly, he added. Shubhash Saha said 208 commercial hatcheries of 156 fish farmers were totally inundated washing out 22 metric tons of fishes and 70 metric tons of fingerlings in only Bagmara upazila. Meanwhile, standing crops on around 6,132 hectares of land were inundated by the floodwater in four upazilas of the district, said Deb Dulal Dhali, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). According to official report, Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Shah Kamal revealed yesterday after an inter-ministerial meeting that 27 districts have been affected by flood in country’s northern region, leaving 57.19 lakh people marooned and 93 dead. • Government to build T-gryones to fortify flood protection embankments • Ariful Islam, Kurigram CURRENT AFFAIRS Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud has said that the government is considering taking up a new strategy to construct T-gryones along the flood protection embankments for their better maintenance. T-gryones are hydraulic structures built on sea shores and riverbank areas to interrupt the water current and sediment movement. This would be a strategic shift in the management of flood control embankments because the gryones would ensure reclamation of lands as well as provide extraprotection to the embankments, said the minister. Anisul told this to reporters while inspecting a damaged flood control embankment in Bangtur Ghat area under Kurigram Sadar upazila yesterday. “The funds that are allocated each year for the maintenance of the embankments usually run out in the repair works after the floods. That is why the strategy of embankment protection has been changed,” he added. State Minister for Water Resources Mohammad Nazrul Islam Bir Pratik and Bangladesh Water Development Board Chief Engineer Aziz Muhammad Chowdhury were also present on the occasion. •
News SUNDAY, 7 AUGUST 20, 2017 DT Flood victims suffering from lack of safe drinking water • Afrose Jahan Chaity CURRENT AFFAIRS Health risks may hit an alarming level in 20 flood-affected districts in the country as around 1.7 million people are having a very hard time making their living in the areas where they are starving for food and safe drinking water. Rocked and displaced by the devastating floods, some 322,000 people have taken shelter at 1,330 centres in the districts, while many are living in the open in elevated areas or on school premises without food, drinking water and medicines. Drinking water and sanitation inaccessible Over 12,700 tube wells have submerged in Kurigram alone, according to the Department of Public Health Department (DPHE). Explaining the lack of access to safe drinking water, flood victim Samosto Begum from Char Parbatipur in the district told the Dhaka Tribune: “No one is getting food and drinking water. Women are suffering a lot as toilets are unusable. We have to walk a long way to fetch water. “People have no choice but to defecate in open spaces” The dearth of sanitation facilities and safe water has already started to cause water-borne diseases among the affected people in the districts. Ayub Ali, chairman of Jatrapur union parishad in Kurigram, said: “Though some tube wells have been installed to supply safe drinking water to victims, they are unable to meet the people’s needs.” Nearly 600 dead in South Asia floods Indian villagers wade through flood waters with a raft made from gas canisters in Balurghat in West Bengal on August 17, 2017 AFP More tube wells are needed, he said. Conceding that district lacks basic sanitation facilities, Ayub said: “I informed the government authorities concerned of the issue and hope that some makeshift toilets would be arranged within a short time.” In Dinajpur, some 144,553 tube wells have gone under floodwaters, forcing locals to drink unsafe, polluted water. The government has allocated 16,004 tonnes of rice and Tk49,881,950 as general relief to the people. The district authorities concerned said they had already distributed a considerable amount of the disaster aid, but our district correspondents found a large number of the flood victims complaining that they had not received relief materials as yet. consecutive day following large scale damage to the tracks. Authorities in West Bengal state said the flood waters were receding after a lull in the rains but 52 so far deaths were reported. More than a million people have been affected. ‘Humanitarian crisis’ At least a hundred people have died in neighbouring Bangladesh with close to six million affected by the floods. The government has opened nearly a thousand shelters in schools and colleges where nearly 300,000 people have taken shelter, the country’s disaster management department said. But there are still pockets of the country where help has yet to reach. Poresh Mondol, a farmer in the northern district of Kurigram, one of the worst hit areas, has been camping with his family on the roof of his tin-shed house, most of which was submerged. The International Red Cross called it a humanitarian crisis and said urgent action was needed. “Millions of people across Nepal, Bangladesh and India face Health Facilities Some 1,219 local medical teams have been deployed in the districts to address the resultant health problems. Currently, 116 medical teams are working in Dinajpur. The victims complained, however, that the teams are supplying medicines for only diarrhoea, cold and fever, while they are suffering from numerous diseases and lack of water purification tablets. Civil Surgeon of Lalmonirhat Dr Amiruzzaman said: “In order to ensure health services in the district, we have deployed 54 medical teams.” Patient with different water-borne diseases are taking treatment from the teams, he said. Speaking to our correspondent in the district, locals, however, said they did not see any medical team render services to the affected people and that the medical teams are on papers only. People are taking health services from the teams run by the army Border Guard Bangladesh, they added. Awareness campaign programmes Dr Md Khairul Islam, executive director of WaterAid Bangladesh, highlighted the need for running awareness campaigns through media. Putting emphasis on pure drinking water, Khairul Islam said: “To prevent water-borne diseases, we need to focus on ensuring access to safe drinking water, and clean water must be used for all purposes.” • Our Lalmonirhat correspondent Moazzem Hossain, Kurigram correspondent Ariful Islam and Dinajpur correspondent Faruk Hossain contributed to this report. severe food shortages and disease caused by polluted flood waters,” said Martin Faller, deputy regional director for Asia Pacific, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Every year hundreds die in landslides and floods during the monsoon season that hits India’s southern tip in early June and sweeps across the South Asia region for four months. A massive landslide in India’s Himachal Pradesh state swept two passenger buses off a hillside, killing 46 people on Sunday. • • AFP, New Delhi WORLD Nearly 600 people have died and millions have been affected by monsoon floods in South Asia, officials said Saturday, as relief and rescue operations continued. The latest floods and landslides in the subcontinent began in the second week of August, as the annual monsoon strengthened its grip over the northern and eastern parts of the region. Indian authorities sought military help in two districts of northern Uttar Pradesh state after fresh heavy rains left hundreds of villages marooned. As many as 33 out of 75 districts in the most populated Indian state are reeling from floods that have left 55 people dead. Nearly 100,000 people have moved to shelters, with authorities estimating another two million have been hit by the deluge. In India’s worst hit Bihar state the death toll reached 153 following one of the deadliest floods to hit the region since 2008. Nearly 400,000 people have sought shelter in relief camps and an estimated 10 million have been affected by the flood. Anirudh Kumar, a top disaster management agency official in the state, said more than 5,000 emergency workers including 2,000 soldiers were supporting relief and rescue operations. Both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh border Nepal, which was hit by floods at the weekend and where the death toll is 123. At least 20 percent of the 28 million population is affected in what the United Nations has called the worst flood to hit the country in 15 years. Further east in India, at least 60 people have died in floods that hit Assam state a second time in less than four months and nearly 425,000 remain in relief camps. Railway connectivity between the remote region and mainland remained suspended for the sixth MONSOON FLOODING More than 600 killed across India, Nepal and Bangladesh PAKISTAN 100 km INDIA HIMACHAL PRADESH Landslide swept 2 packed buses into gorge Areas most affected by floods, landslides (as of Aug 17) More than 8,000 security forces deployed for search and rescue operations Around 46,000 people displaced, 9,600 houses totally damaged, 22,200 partially damaged 70% of agricultural area in Tarai region inundated NEPAL 100,000 in relief camps Source: UN Reliefweb/IFRC/Nepal, India, Bangladesh government/Nepal Red Cross BIHAR WEST BENGAL 10,000 in relief camps CHINA 170,000 in emergency camps ASSAM BANGLADESH Up to 4.5 million affected, 200,000 houses destroyed
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