Loan repayment worries grip victims as floodwaters recede

FENI, Sept 01 (bdnews24.com): Thakur Chan Das, a resident of Shibpur in Feni's Fazilpur Upazila, took out a loan from a private organisation a few months ago to build a new house. But the joy of moving into his new home has been washed away by a week of flooding.

As the floodwaters slowly recede, Das worries about when he will be able to return to work, how he will rebuild, and how he will repay the loan instalments.

Like Das, many hard-working people across the flood-affected areas of Feni are facing similar struggles.

The recent floods have devastated many villages, roads, and homes in several remote areas of Feni's upazilas, with some still submerged, although conditions are improving in certain areas.

As the water level has started to drop, people displaced by the floods are gradually returning to their homes from shelters.

The damage caused by the floods is becoming visible as the waters recede.

Many have lost their stored rice, some have seen their homes collapse, while others have found their possessions destroyed by the floodwaters.

The flood victims are now worried about how they will rebuild their homes and survive the coming days.

Another major concern is repaying loan instalments to various non-government organisations, or NGOs, or associations.

Das, his wife, and children took shelter at Fazilpur Railway Station when the floodwaters rose.

The water began to rise in their area on August 20, he told the online news agency on Sunday.

"The water rose so quickly that by midday the next day, our house was submerged. We had no choice but to seek refuge at the station to save our lives."

Das said he had built the house by combining his savings with loans from people and an NGO.

Although they had moved into their new home earlier this month, it was destroyed by the floodwaters.

"The day the water started rising, I went to the market to sell betel leaves in the morning and returned home in the afternoon. My van full of betel leaves was swept away by the floodwaters," he said.

Now, he is overwhelmed with worry about rebuilding his house and repaying his loans.

Rahima Khatun from Sulagali village in Sonagazi upazila took shelter in a neighbour's concrete building after her home was submerged in the floods.

When the water began to recede on Monday afternoon, she returned to her house on Tuesday only to find nothing was as it was before. Her stored rice, poultry, and ducks were all gone.

Rahima said she did not receive proper relief aid. She is now worried about how she will provide for herself and pay off several loan instalments.

She has several weekly and monthly loan instalments to pay.

Abdur Shukkur, a village police member from the same village, receives a monthly allowance of Tk 6,500, but it is disbursed every three months. He is worried because he received his allowance before the Eid-ul-Azha festival, and now, with a change in government, he is uncertain if his job or allowance will continue.

Shukkur said he had taken out loans with weekly and monthly instalments and now owes Tk 11,000 in arrears.

With his house damaged by floodwaters, he is at a loss for what to do next.

Hazera Begum and Bachara Begum of Char Dubba village in Sonagazi's Amirabad union, are also worried about repaying their loans.

They said they returned home on Monday after spending four days in a shelter, only to find that everything in their house was ruined.

They need to repair their belongings and still repay their loan instalments.

The victims said that loan officers from NGOs or associations from which they had borrowed money had not come to collect payments due to the floods.

However, they fear the collectors will be back as soon as the waters recede.

The lending institutions have not announced any loan forgiveness or repayment plans.

Overall, the debt-burdened victims are now wondering how long this hardship will continue.