Severe shortage of baby food, health risks for flood-affected victims

Due to the upstream floods coming from India and continuous heavy rainfall, nearly 2.1 million people in Noakhali and Feni districts are now trapped by floodwaters. The flood-affected areas are facing severe shortages of clean water and food. The crisis is compounded by a lack of food and the menace of snakes, leaving the flood victims in a dire situation, with many spending sleepless nights. The flooding, which has persisted for over a week, has rendered hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Pregnant women and children are suffering the most, with a shortage of baby food, health risks for pregnant women, inadequate sanitation, and a lack of women's hygiene products intensifying their suffering. Additionally, the lack of balanced nutrition in the relief shelters is also a major concern. Views Bangladesh reporters have surveyed the flood situation in various areas of Noakhali and Feni and are providing this firsthand account.

What was seen during the visit

On Wednesday, from morning until noon, a survey of Lakshminarayanpur, Krishnarampur, Datterhat, and Sonapur areas in the district town revealed that every locality was submerged in knee- to waist-deep water. The roads were completely underwater.
Even the premises of the District Commissioner’s office, the Superintendent of Police’s office, the Judge’s Court, and the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court were flooded with knee-deep water. The residents of the entire town were trapped in water, enduring immense suffering. Every shelter in the town was crowded with flood victims.

Talking to flood-affected people, it was learned that those who were stranded in shelters or houses near roads in the district town and various upazilas, where the floodwaters were comparatively lower, were receiving some government and non-government relief. However, most residents of remote villages, far from the district, upazila, and union roads, have not received any assistance. Due to the high water levels, no one was able to reach them with relief.

Views Bangladesh reporters traveled around various parts of the town and, with the help of a schoolteacher from a primary school in Odharhat, crossed approximately 4 kilometers of the main road through knee-deep water to reach a market named Rajganj. Although there was no water on the road there, the surrounding villages were practically underwater. Thousands of people had taken shelter in local school buildings and elevated structures in the village. Both government and non-governmental relief distribution were observed there.

After 3 PM, heavy rainfall began. Despite the rain, the reporters continued their journey from the local market to Damdapur Bazaar, about 6 kilometers away, and then to Rambholobpur School. There, they witnessed a social organization from Dhaka distributing relief. Several political organizations were also seen distributing aid.

Around 5 PM, the reporters returned to Odharhat and found that 380 people had taken shelter in the local school. Hundreds of people were standing in waist-deep water, waiting for relief.

Speaking with a man named Saddam Hossain, it was learned that his home is located 3.5 kilometers from the main road. His family of eight, including his elderly mother and three children, had been trapped by floodwaters for the past six days. They survived the last few days with the dry food they had at home, but today he was forced to come out in search of relief.

Severe Shortage of Baby Food

Over the past 24 hours, a survey from Maijdee in Noakhali to Odharhat in the west revealed a severe shortage of baby food, causing immense distress in these areas. Parents in various shelters are struggling to feed their children. Many children are crying due to a lack of food. The situation is dire for families with young children as the shelters lack special food provisions for them from government and non-governmental organizations.

At a location called Neajerdogi in Noakhali, a government primary school was found to be sheltering 80 families, among which there were 20 children. Among them is Rahima Begum, a mother of a four-month-old baby. She has been surviving on dry food for the past four days, resulting in a decrease in her breast milk supply. The baby, deprived of food, has become weak from continuous crying.

Rahima Begum is not alone in this struggle; many mothers and children in various shelters are facing a severe food crisis. They are surviving on dry snacks like flattened rice and bananas, putting both mothers and children at significant health risk.

A volunteer named Shakil mentioned, "We are trying to provide a little extra food for the mothers with young children, but it is insufficient compared to the need." At a shelter in Thaker hat, there are five pregnant women. A volunteer named Rashid Rahman managed to send three of them by boat to a safe home in the city. However, the other two are in a very poor state due to lack of rest and food.

Inadequate Toilets

In a shelter in Feni, there are 450 people, but only two toilets available. The overwhelming number of people has left these toilets in a deplorable state, rendering two of them unusable. This situation has put the people in this area at extreme health risk.

There are no special arrangements for children, leaving them at severe risk of health issues. With funds raised through personal initiatives, Views Bangladesh has provided diapers for children in six shelters.

No Political Divisions

Despite the country going through an extremely challenging political period, a survey of the flood-affected areas reveals that people are working together, putting aside differences of religion, ethnicity, and political affiliation. Leaders and activists from various local political parties, including the Awami League and BNP, are working alongside volunteers who have come from outside. Although there is no lack of sincerity, they are facing difficulties due to their lack of prior experience in such efforts. This has led to various coordination issues.

Latest Information

According to the latest data from the District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer's office, eight upazilas and seven municipalities in the district are affected by floods. A total of 182,309 people have already taken shelter in 1,098 permanent and temporary shelters in these areas. The floods have left 1,981,700 people in the district trapped by water. To provide healthcare to the flood-affected people, the district health department has deployed 88 medical teams.