UNITED NATIONS, Sep 06 (IPS) – Since late August, severe floods and cyclones that have hit Bangladesh have affected nearly 6 million people. Bangladeshi officials have declared the floods to be the country’s worst weather disaster. The latest floods follow Cyclone Remal, which devastated Bangladesh and West Bengal earlier this year.
The floods caused widespread destruction in Bangladesh, with the districts of Feni, Cumilla, Laxipur, Chattogram, and Noakhali among the worst affected. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that 71 people have reportedly died. The floods have devastated villages, as thousands of houses have been destroyed or submerged under water, prompting massive internal displacement.
“So far, 500,000 people have been left in more than 3,400 shelters,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, during a press conference on September 4 at the headquarters in New York.
“We, along with our humanitarian partners, are united and supporting the government-led flood response,” Dujarric said. “We are also helping local efforts to help the most vulnerable people and communities affected by these floods.”
Shelters in Bangladesh have become overcrowded due to the number of displaced people. According to the report of August 30 of the United Nations Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), this has raised concerns about the protection of women and girls affected.
The floods also damaged critical infrastructure in Bangladesh, severely hampering relief efforts by humanitarian agencies. Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh said “Disruption of roads and communication has increased their plight, making it difficult for them to access safety and essential services. of high water levels.
According to the ICCG report, in Noakhali, about 50 percent of the affected areas are considered “inaccessible” by local authorities and aid workers. Floods also cause severe power outages, which exacerbate these accessibility challenges.
This has had a major impact on education throughout the country. The floods have destroyed educational institutions across the country and made many roads and corridors inaccessible, making it very difficult for children to learn. According to Dujarric, more than 7000 schools are now closed due to the floods, which have affected 1.7 million children and youth.
Waste water treatment systems have been seriously compromised due to the swelling of polluted water that fills the streets. Without access to emergency medical services, the risk of contracting water-borne diseases is greatly increased.
Kabir added, “The deterioration of the sanitation system in many areas has exacerbated the public health problem”.
Last week, In another incident last week, the Directorate of General Health Services (Dte. GHS) of Bangladesh reported that in the 24 hours since the floods started, 5000 people were hospitalized, reporting cases of diarrhea, skin diseases and snake bites . UNICEF is currently at the forefront of the crisis, distributing 3.6 million water purification tablets to prevent the spread of disease.
Additionally, the lives of millions have been affected by the floods. Agriculture, in particular, was the hardest hit. According to the ministry of agriculture in Bangladesh, the floods resulted in a loss of 282 million US dollars due to crop damage, affecting more than 1.3 million farmers. This is very dangerous as the agricultural sector employs about 42 percent of Bangladesh’s workforce.
Dujarric added that the floods caused a loss of approximately 156 million US dollars in livestock and fishing industries. This devastated the economy of Bangladesh and greatly increased the level of food insecurity throughout the country.
“With supplies disrupted, thousands of families are still trapped in shelters without food,” said Simone Parchment, World Food Program (WFP) Representative in Bangladesh, in a statement released on August 30. self-catering methods.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of starvation and malnutrition as aid workers struggle to distribute dry food to shelters. WFP is currently in the process of distributing fortified biscuits to 60,000 families in the worst affected areas.
The UN emergency coordinator, Joyce Msuya, has allocated four million dollars to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). In addition, UNICEF is on the front lines of this crisis, providing more than 338,000 people with life-saving supplies. However, current efforts are not enough to reduce this crisis. UNICEF has requested more than 35 million dollars from donors to provide medical assistance to all affected families.
It is also important to address the climate issue, as Bangladesh is one of the most climate sensitive countries. A 2015 report by the World Bank Institute said that nearly 3.5 million people in Bangladesh are affected by annual river flooding, a major climate issue.
UNICEF Deputy Representative in Bangladesh Emma Brigham noted that the damage caused by the floods in the eastern parts of Bangladesh is “a sad reminder of the lasting impact of extreme weather events and climate crisis”, especially on children. “There are too many children who have lost their relatives, their homes, schools, and now they are in need,” he said.
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