The government has undertaken rehabilitation programmes to support flood-affected people in 19 districts of the country aiming to overcome their month-long sufferings, reports BSS.
Director General of the Department of Disaster Management Mohammad Abdul Wazed said: "As part of post-flood rehabilitation programmes, we are distributing cash money and corrugated iron sheets among flood-affected people to make their life normal."
During the flood, the Department of Disaster Management distributed rice and cash among the flood-effected people, he added.
"After assessing the damage report in the flood-hit district, we are allocating more relief and cash money aiming to rehabilitate the people," Mr Wazed added.
The Department of Disaster Management, he said, also had given relief to the river erosion victims in the districts of Manikganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Munshiganj, Sirajganj and Shariatpur. Director (Relief) of Department of Disaster Management Md Iftekharul Islam said a total of 7,400 tonnes of rice and Tk 16.2 million were allocated for flood victims. Of them, 4,967 tonnes of rice and Tk 11.3 million were distributed, he added.
Under the post-flood rehabilitation programmes, two bundles of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 6,000 would be given to each family, Mr Iftekharul added.
He said: "We have launched Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programmes for poor families in flood-affected districts for three months from September to November." Under the VGF programmes, each family would get 30 kilograms of rice per month, he added.
The 19 flood-hit districts are Kurigram, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, Tangail, Jamalpur, Dhaka, Faridpur, Sunamganj, Netrakona, Manikganj, Sylhet, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Munshiganj.
UNB adds: Although flooding in the northwestern region started abating and water levels were dropping in most areas, thousands were still suffering due to shortage of food, pure drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.
According to the government's Department of Disaster Management (DDM), nearly three million (30 lakh) people of about 629,243 families in about 20 districts were affected by the flood that started in mid-August.
Compared to the large number of flood-hit people, the response initiative was still not sufficient, said an Oxfam press release on Friday.
Other development partners are providing cash or food but the support for safe drinking water and sanitation facilities remain ignored.
Oxfam, as a worldwide development agency, sets water, sanitation and hygiene support as the priority for the flood-hit people and already provided 750 families in Chawhali upazila of Sirajganj district and
Sunderganj and Fulchari upazilas of Gaibandha district with water purifying tablets, sanitary cloth, oral saline, soaps, etc.
"Oxfam with its NGO partners is committed to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected populations and is coordinating with other INGOs and the local government to target affected population in hard to reach areas," said Snehal V Soneji, Country Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh.
