THE immediate issues that the authorities need to seriously attend to in the event of flooding are the rescue of people left dangerously marooned and the supply of food for the affected. The government appears to have failed on both the fronts. While a large number of people were waiting to be rescued even from submerged shelters, as 抖阴精品 reported in the first week of July, to safety in the Rangpur division, at least 45,000 people were reported to be living on boats as the authorities could not move them out. The extent of government efforts that such a situation warrants has not been forthcoming. Now, hundreds of flood victims are, as 抖阴精品 reported on July 9, shuttling between places at the sight of teams or groups, privately organised or publicly managed, distributing relief supplies, especially food. It has become difficult for the flood victims, both in the north and the north-east which are home to the poorest segments of the population, who cannot even eat enough at normal time, to prepare food because of strong wind even if some of them have enough to cook. What is unfortunate in this is that many who are shuttling between places to grab some food for the day are returning empty-handed.
The situation has been unbearable for the victims in some areas, especially in the north-east, who have been facing the flooding for the third week now. A 60-year-old woman, who is staying at a school that has been turned into a shelter with her husband and two sons, could reach two teams with relief supplies but the food that she could grab from the team sent by the Kurigram district council was a third of her demand. She is, perhaps, one among thousands of such people. In the event of such massive flooding that has, as the minister of state for disaster management and relief is reported to have said, affected two million people in 18 districts. And, the government has so far allocated, not yet perhaps fully distributed, Tk 28.5 million in cash, 8,500 tonnes of rice, 57,500 packets of dry food and Tk 4 million in cash each for food for infants and fodder. The cash aid allocated comes down to Tk 14 per flood victim. Other relief supplies would certainly come to do such a ludicrous amount if evenly distributed to the victims. Local representatives, shamed and embarrassed, in the north are reported to be trying not to face the victims. A union council chair in Lalmonirhat says that he was hiding from the people. Flooding for the third year in a row has left the victims severely constrained about their life and living which the government does not appear to be attending to early and in earnest.
The government has several mid- and long-term issues to shore up to mitigate the impact of flooding on people and the economy. But a low supply of food for flood victims has made a mess of relief effort. The government must meaningfully try to mitigate the suffering of flood victims.