The death toll from flood-related incidents like drowning, water-borne diseases and snakebites rose to 516 with 35 more deaths reported in 24 hours until Thursday morning while two agriculture ministry departments pinned their hopes for better crop yields in coming seasons on the flooding, report UNB/bdnews24.com.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) also predicted that the use of fertiliser in the coming years could decline considerably as layers of fine alluvial sediments were left on cultivable lands inundated by the floodwaters.
However, of the death toll, 15 died of diarrhoea, 11 from respiratory problems, 33 of snakebites and 457 from drowning, according to Health Department officials.
They said the waterborne diseases have so far affected about 63,467 people across the country.
A total of 3,261 medical teams are working round-the-clock for providing healthcare to the affected people.
According to statistics provided by the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, a total of 251 upazilas in 39 districts were hit by the flooding that affected over 10,524,286 people of 2,253,255 families until 9:30am Thursday.
The flooding damaged about 60,848 houses completely and 869,539 houses partially, crops on 689,300 acres completely and 731,727 acres partially, 2,668 km roads completely, 22,591 km roads
partially, 510 educational institutions completely and 6,672 others partially.
It also damaged 87 km embankments completely, 727 km embankments partially, 72 bridges and culverts completely and 1,536 others partially.
Some 194,770 people affected by the flood took shelter in 758 centres opened for them.
Meanwhile, cash and relief goods from the Chief Adviser's relief fund continued to be sent for the flood-hit people.
On the other hand, officials concerned said the production of fish in open and natural water bodies will also increase meeting the protein demands of the people, especially the poorer section.
"We have got reports from the field level that on an average two-inch thick fine sediments have been left on lands inundated by the floodwaters in Sirajganj area. This silt deposition will bring forth bumper production of all agricultural crops including rice and vegetables," Dr Shahidul Islam, director of field service wing of the DAE said Wednesday.
He said the use of fertilisers must come down to a great extent through at least the next two seasons as, on an average, all the inundated lands got at least one-inch thick layers of alluvial fine sediment. But he could not give an instant estimation as to how much fertilisers would be saved in the process.
According to the DAE, the farmers use about 2.7 million (27 lakh) tonnes of urea fertiliser alone annually.
"Most of our farmers don't apply fertilisers as per DAE suggestions. They possess the traditional knowledge that flood sediments increase fertility and so apply fertilisers accordingly. Therefore, it is not possible to predict how much fertilisers can be saved through the forthcoming seasons," Islam said.
A Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) of the SRDI Md Kabil Hossain Dewan agreed with the director and said, "The flooding is like bathing of soil using nutritive elements."
"The floodwaters will wash away all the chemical ingredients and insecticides used in the field. So, we can expect a bumper yield of all agricultural products," Dewan said.
"One of the main causes of low agricultural production here is that our farmers don't use balanced fertilisers. The alluvial sediments brought in by the floodwaters help strike a balance in the use of fertiliser and manure," Anil Chandra Sarker, a deputy director of the DAE said.
According to another report, the government formed a four-member inter-ministerial committee to investigate suspected negligence of duty by the authorities concerned that led to such a fury of floods in Sirajganj, Feni and Ulipur in Kurigram district in the current spell of flooding.
"The committee has been assigned to the task of determining responsibility of the authorities concerned for such devastating magnitude of floods," an official announcement said Thursday.
ASM Rashidul Hye, Acting Secretary of the Housing and Public Works Ministry, has been made president of the probe body that has also been asked to recommend remedial measures.
The three members are representatives, not below the joint secretary level each, of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Department and the Water Resources Ministry, and a representative of the Water Development Board, not ranked below additional director general.
A government notification to this effect said the committee has been asked to submit its investigation report to the Cabinet Division within next 15 days.
Govt upbeat on better post-flood crop yield
FE Team | Published: August 17, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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