Flood relief and rehabilitation activities
Saturday, 25 August 2007
There can be no saying of it conclusively till the middle of next month that the flood has come to an end with the end of the rainy season as well. In this situation when final estimates of flood related damages are not possible, yet, the stress should be on a sort of micro-mapping of the damages. This mapping should concentrate on finding out and creating categories such as the very badly hit areas, less badly hit areas and so on. At the same time, new areas getting flooded or older ones getting submerged again, all should come under this mapping programme on a continuous basis.
The merit of it would be knowing precisely the state of the affected areas and dispatching immediate relief to them according to the priorities. The past practice had been sending relief goods generally into one area where may be one section of it only was flood affected. Thus, the goods in some cases were wasted and did not go directly to the ones who were the victims of the flood. The concentrating of relief items directly in the affected areas according to an order of priorities can be expected to guard against such misuse as well as facilitate their efficient and prompt distribution among those who would be most in need.
Rehabilitation of agriculture ought to be central in the list of major tasks to be attempted. The greatest contribution in this area can be making available to the farmers immediately seeds and seedlings for planting in the fields from where flood waters have drained off. Nearly 0.8 million hectares of agricultural lands in varying degrees have been affected by the flood and standing crops in them specially the growing aman rice crops have largely perished. But this loss can be made up substantially provided the farmers get seeds and seedlings immediately for planting. The seeds and seedlings of transplanted aman and even boro rice and winter vegetables would be of great assistance to farmers. Government has declared free distribution of seeds and fertilisers to marginal farmers owning a maximum of 1 acre of land. For truly realising the benefits of this measure, the free distribution may be extended also to farmers owning 2 acres of land. The distribution of seeds and seedlings needs to be also a well coordinated and streamlined activity with non government organisations (NGOs) for comprehensively and effectively covering the greatest number.
The interest on agricultural loans will have to be exceptionally reduced in this period of great stress for the farmers. The recent decision to increase the interest on such loans from 8 to 12 per cent was revised; the rate was brought back to 8 per cent. But even this rate is considered as harsh and very difficult for the farmers to bear in the flood affected areas. Therefore, the interest rate on agricultural loans can be selectively reduced to a nominal rate of 1 or 2 per cent in the flood-hit areas leaving the rate higher in the unaffected areas.
Government has adopted a rehabilitation plan for agriculture. Taka 650 million would be spent for it. But it is doubtful whether this amount of resources would even partly meet the needs of a recovery and rehabilitation programme. Clearly, much greater resources will have to flow into this programme to enable a turnaround in the agricultural sector. Apart from farming activities, other sectors such as fisheries and small enterprises of various sorts in the rural areas have been badly affected by the flood. Infrastructures-- specially roads-- will have to be quickly repaired to help the full resumption of normal economic life which depends so much on ease of movement. Government has decided to appeal to the donors for funds but till the same are actually made available, government must not be tight fisted in spending from its own towards a comprehensive flood recovery plan. Even pruning resources from the Annual Development Plan (ADP) and diverting the same for flood recovery efforts will prove to be more gainful for the economy in general and in mitigating hardships at individual level.
The merit of it would be knowing precisely the state of the affected areas and dispatching immediate relief to them according to the priorities. The past practice had been sending relief goods generally into one area where may be one section of it only was flood affected. Thus, the goods in some cases were wasted and did not go directly to the ones who were the victims of the flood. The concentrating of relief items directly in the affected areas according to an order of priorities can be expected to guard against such misuse as well as facilitate their efficient and prompt distribution among those who would be most in need.
Rehabilitation of agriculture ought to be central in the list of major tasks to be attempted. The greatest contribution in this area can be making available to the farmers immediately seeds and seedlings for planting in the fields from where flood waters have drained off. Nearly 0.8 million hectares of agricultural lands in varying degrees have been affected by the flood and standing crops in them specially the growing aman rice crops have largely perished. But this loss can be made up substantially provided the farmers get seeds and seedlings immediately for planting. The seeds and seedlings of transplanted aman and even boro rice and winter vegetables would be of great assistance to farmers. Government has declared free distribution of seeds and fertilisers to marginal farmers owning a maximum of 1 acre of land. For truly realising the benefits of this measure, the free distribution may be extended also to farmers owning 2 acres of land. The distribution of seeds and seedlings needs to be also a well coordinated and streamlined activity with non government organisations (NGOs) for comprehensively and effectively covering the greatest number.
The interest on agricultural loans will have to be exceptionally reduced in this period of great stress for the farmers. The recent decision to increase the interest on such loans from 8 to 12 per cent was revised; the rate was brought back to 8 per cent. But even this rate is considered as harsh and very difficult for the farmers to bear in the flood affected areas. Therefore, the interest rate on agricultural loans can be selectively reduced to a nominal rate of 1 or 2 per cent in the flood-hit areas leaving the rate higher in the unaffected areas.
Government has adopted a rehabilitation plan for agriculture. Taka 650 million would be spent for it. But it is doubtful whether this amount of resources would even partly meet the needs of a recovery and rehabilitation programme. Clearly, much greater resources will have to flow into this programme to enable a turnaround in the agricultural sector. Apart from farming activities, other sectors such as fisheries and small enterprises of various sorts in the rural areas have been badly affected by the flood. Infrastructures-- specially roads-- will have to be quickly repaired to help the full resumption of normal economic life which depends so much on ease of movement. Government has decided to appeal to the donors for funds but till the same are actually made available, government must not be tight fisted in spending from its own towards a comprehensive flood recovery plan. Even pruning resources from the Annual Development Plan (ADP) and diverting the same for flood recovery efforts will prove to be more gainful for the economy in general and in mitigating hardships at individual level.