Massive challenges ahead as water starts receding

Water has started to recede from the flood-affected south-eastern districts after 12 days. The glimpse of familiar towns and houses can be seen. People who took shelters in other places have started returning home. But most of the things are damaged. Hundreds of thousands of people in Cumilla, Feni and Noakhali regions feel that the main challenge is to repair the damage and start over again.

After staying at the shelter house for nine days, Karim Munshi went home and found that everything had been washed away by flood water. When the water started rising so fast, all of his family members including wife and children came out in one cloth. Karim Munshi who hails from 2 no. Dadpur union of Noakhali said that all the furniture of the house has been destroyed. Although I managed to take some important papers with me, clothes, bed-pillows and books were all washed away. There is no stove or dishes in the house. Latrines have been washed away. As the tube well was drowned in water, it is not safe to drink from it anymore. He said that he has to start everything again from the beginning.

Still millions of people are stranded in water in most of the low-lying areas of the district. Houses are still under waist-deep water. Boats are the only mode of transportation. Houses next to the road in various upazilas are still under water. Sanitation system has broken down in many areas of the city including remote areas. Garbage is spreading in the flood water, causing various water-borne diseases.

Abed Ali of Krishnarampur area of Maijdee town in Noakhali said that the water entered his house at the first wave of the flood, forcing them to take refuge in a two-storey house next door. "Even if the water recedes, there is no condition to live in that house. There is nothing but the roof and walls of the house," he said.

Meanwhile, although there has been no rain in Feni and Noakhali for the last three days, the towns, especially some areas of Noakhali Sadar and several parts of Feni are still submerged under water. In some areas around Noakhali city, the water has receded completely, but daily life is still disrupted. The concrete layers of most of the roads have been washed away. No auto rickshaw is plying on streets. The situation is even worse in small alleys and unpaved roads inside villages.

In such a situation, many flood-affected villages in Feni, Noakhali Sadar and Begumganj areas are now almost disconnected from others parts of the district. The vehicles of volunteers cannot enter there.

Imam Uddin of Chhwani area of Begumganj said that the roads are damaged and are not usable at all. Even in the evening, one is afraid to walk on that road.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the role of local administration, he said, "Even though one tonne of rice was sent for the flood-hit people by the district administration, the present chairman stole it. As a result, an awkward situation has arisen in the area."
He urged for quick steps from all levels of government agencies and private sectors to repair the small and big roads that have been damaged in the flood.

The flood water of Charmatua union of Sadar upazila has started receding. However, there are still many types of crises as waterlogging still persists. Due to the sinking of tube wells, there has been an acute shortage of fresh water in flood-affected areas. There is also shortage of cooked foods. Also, symptoms of various waterborne diseases including skin diseases and diarrhoea are coming to the fore. Kamal Uddin, a resident of Cahrmatua, said, "The people of the entire union are passing days in a dreadful situation. Food aid is not being supplied to remote areas."

After visiting various unions of Noakhali it was learnt that eight upazilas of the district have been affected by floods. Now water is decreasing in these areas. As a result of lack of rain and continuous sunshine for three days, the flood situation in the district has improved a lot. But still there is shortage of food and clean water across the district. Although relief is provided by public and private institutions, various social organisations and voluntary organisations, it is less than the requirement. Due to poor transportation system, relief is not reaching the remote areas properly. The number of diarrhoea and snakebite patients is increasing in the district.

Mostafizur Rahman of Qadir Hanif union said that many people are suffering from various water borne diseases including diarrhoea and skin diseases due to lack of clean water and for the fact that septic tank garbage has spread in the water. Almost everyone who is walking in the flood water is suffering from skin diseases, he added.

Morshed Rahman, a resident of Senbag upazila, said that a lot of water has receded. However, there is a shortage of clean drinking water. Flood victims are suffering from water borne diseases.

meanwhile, health experts informed that waterborne diseases including skin diseases and diarrhoea are spreading in the flood-affected areas. In addition to relief assistance, the administration must work to combat water-borne diseases.

Noakhali District Civil Surgeon Dr Masum Iftekhar said, "The number of diarrhoea patients is increasing. The number of skin patients is also increasing at an alarming rate. We are providing water purification tablets and saline to the flood affected areas so that the diarrheal outbreak does not turn into an epidemic."

"Adequate quantity of medicines has been provided to the upazila health centre for the treatment of skin diseases," he added.

He urged the affected to go to the upazila health complex for proper treatment.

Officials of District Water Development Board said that in the last 12 hours the water has decreased by one centimetre in Sadar upazila. In Begumganj upazila, three centimetres of water has decreased. Water is decreasing in other upazilas too.

District Deputy Commissioner Dewan Mahbubur Rahman said, "There are about 22 lakh people trapped in water in Noakhali district. Officially 1,389 shelters have been opened where 2,59,000 people are staying. So far, 1718 metric tonnes of rice, Tk 45 lakh in cash, 1000 packets of dry food, baby foods worth Tk 5 lakh and domestic animals' food worth TK 5 lakh have been distributed as government relief assistance."

It is to be noted that since last week Cumilla, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur and Cox’s Bazar districts were affected by floods due to heavy rain fall and flash floods, affecting 73 upazilas of these districts.