Rehabilitation of flood victims

Bangladesh's exposure to floods in its south and south-eastern region and drought-like situation in its north reflects its vulnerability to climate change. This year's experience has further reinforced experts' view about the country's vulnerability to this phenomenon. The country is thus now witnessing freaks of nature in the way Myanmar, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam have also been facing this time, following floods and landslides triggered by heavy seasonal rains. Incessant rains in Bangladesh for one and a half months caught millions in its south-eastern districts unaware as they did not experience such a situation after 2007. At the same time, the districts of its northern region have been literally without any rainfall. The country did not experience such intermittent rains in the past few years.

Although flooding in the south and south-east region has reportedly eased with water now receding, it has already left a vast trail of damage and destruction. Swelling of rivers inundated nearly 0.1 million hectares of croplands so far this year. Seasonal Aus paddy, Aman seedbeds, vegetables, flower gardens, ginger fields and shrimp enclosures have suffered severe damage due to  the floods, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension and the Department of Fisheries. Fishes from many pisciculture ponds where fish farming was promoted were washed away as swelling water burst their banks. Fish enclosures in Khulna and Bagerhat witnessed losses, reportedly to the tune of Tk 1.0 billion. There has been serious damage to infrastructures as well as embankments. Vast tracts of farmlands have thus been swallowed up by floodwaters, turning a normally fertile flat valley into an expansive lake. The onrush of water from the upstream rivers in India through the Ichhamoti, the Kodala and other rivers has further worsened the situation.

The government now needs to assess, with information obtained from the offices of the deputy commissioners and the upazila chairmen of the affected districts, the extent of damage done by the floods. One can easily guess the magnitude by going through daily newspaper and TV projections but the real figure is likely to be significantly higher because many areas have still not been reached or reported by any assessment teams. The assessment should be completed at the earliest so that the government can work effectively under a programme to mitigate the damage caused.

Affected farmers can be helped with cash support or free seedlings or seeds and other inputs so that they could recoup the losses. Those who lost their homes to gushing waters should be rehabilitated quickly by offering them building materials for free or at subsidised prices. But sadly, except for distribution of a paltry amount of cash, no significant initiative has so far been taken for rehabilitation of the affected farmers. Soft-term loans or cash support can be given to those who lost all the fishes from ponds or shrimp enclosures. Local lawmakers or elected people's representatives have to stand by the side of the flood victims and help the government execute a post-flood rehabilitation programme effectively.