In Bangladesh, the water levels of major rivers increased earlier this week. The one exception
was the Tista River. The resulting floods have affected up to 12 districts in northern Bangladesh. Villages have been cut off by overflowing rivers. The majority of crops have been damaged.
People are taking shelter on roadsides and do not have drinking water, shelter, sanitation facilities, cooking facilities or access to food. Local economies have stalled and there is no work
available. Some local government departments have been providing support to the affected families. However, in places such as like Sirajganj, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, the administration
has requested assistance from NGOs. According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre in Bangladesh, the situation is expected to get worse as water levels continue to
rise.
Food, water and sanitation
Concern’s partner NGOs are engaged in rescue operations in all of the flooded areas. In addition to this, Concern has started distributing
dry food to 5,000 affected families in Sirajganj district. It is also set to begin relief operations in the Bogra district as requested by the district administration. The initial
assessments of the flood damage identified the main priorities as food, drinking water and sanitation. To address these needs, Concern is looking to distribute food for up to three or four days to
those families forced from their homes.Due to the scarcity of clean water, Concern will also be supplying pure drinking water or distributing water purification tablets to the areas most
affected. Another requirement is sanitation facilities in temporary shelters. These are needed quickly to deal with the number of people who are seeking refuge in schools and on higher ground. It is predicted that the flooding could get worse, resulting in a greater number of affected and displaced people. Concern is continuing to assess the situation across the country.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
