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Intense flooding leaves one million marooned in Bangladesh

Caritas collaborating with government and on standby to provide support where necessary
Intense flooding leaves one million marooned in Bangladesh

A flood-affected family moves to a shelter in a rickshaw in Jessore district in this 2016 photo. Natural disasters such as flooding and cyclones are very common in low-lying Bangladesh. (ucanews.com photo)

Published: July 07, 2017 07:39 AM GMT
Updated: July 07, 2017 07:47 AM GMT

Devastating floods have left around one million people stranded and displaced tens of thousands of families across the east of Bangladesh, officials say.

Floods triggered by a combination of surging river waters upstream in India and heavy localized rain resulted in the swelling of four major rivers affecting people in six districts, according to the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Center.

Caritas is collaborating with government officials and is on standby to provide support where necessary.

Mazharul Islam, disaster management officer at Caritas Chittagong said they have prepared a primary situation report on the affected people and losses.

"This year, flooding was fast but it seems to be short-lived. Depending on flood damage and government support, we will offer our helping hand to people in need," Islam said.

Daniel Snal, disaster management officer at Caritas Sylhet said the church's social arm is monitoring the flood situation and has prepared a primary report for further action.

"Between 300,000 and 400,000 people have been stranded by floods in the Sylhet region and hundreds of families have been evacuated. The government has started distributing relief material to the poor and for other people in need we will offer aid where the authorities feel the necessity," said Snal.

"We have prepared a primary flood assessment report to collect donations and to get government permission. If we are allowed, we will offer aid and rehabilitate the most needy people," he added.

In its latest bulletin, July 5, the flood warning center predicated the flood situation would improve in the next 48 hours.

Among the affected districts are Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj in the northeast, and Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar in the southeast.

In many locations, floodwater has inundated roads, houses, businesses and agricultural land, and forced hundreds of education institutes to shut down indefinitely. The affected areas remain cut off from other parts of the country.

In response to the flooding, the government has deployed disaster response teams to distribute relief material and to oversee government shelters to which some 2,000 families have been temporarily housed. 

"We have dispatched support teams to assist people, to evacuate them to safe places where necessary, and are offering basic aid like food and medicine," said Iftekharul Islam, director of relief for the Department of Disaster Management.

In Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts, some 1,188 villages have been affected by flooding, reports the Daily Star newspaper.

In Bandarban district, floods have marooned thousands of families in Lama sub-district, and 300 families have taken refuge in four government shelters said Khin Won Nu, the chief government official in the area.

"We have been distributing dry food and hodge-podge — a mixture of rice and lentils — but we have yet to distribute relief materials to the affected people as villages remain cut off," Won Nu said.

Low-lying Bangladesh is located at the floodplains of world's largest river system, making it vulnerable to natural disasters like cyclones and flooding every year.

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