DU correspondent adds: Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal distributed relief goods, including rice, oral saline and medicines, in different areas of Sirajganj district.

Jatiya Tran (relief) Committee distributed relief among 150 families in Manikganj district. It also provided medical care for the flood victims.

Bangladesh Medical Association distributed relief goods at Keraniganj in Dhaka.

Sagnik, a student organisaton, inaugurated an oral saline project on the Dhaka University campus.

Brac also distributed relief goods at Tongi and Gazipur districts as part of its seven-day programme that began on August 7.

Meanwhile, eminent citizens formed a committee on Thursday to coordinate relief activities for the flood victims, said a press release.

At a meeting, the 'Citizens Coordination Committee for Relief' decided to set up a control room at Moni Singh-Farhad Trust office at Purana Paltan in the city to manage the collection and distribution of relief work.

Prof Anisuzzaman presided over the meeting.

Qayyum Chowdhury, Commander Abdur Rouf, Shamsuzzaman Khan, SMA Sabur, Hilal Fayezi, Abu Naser Khan, Numan Ahammad Khan and Chiroranjan Sarker were present at the meeting.

Communist Party of Bangladesh yesterday urged all its members to donate their one day's earnings for the flood victims.

At a press briefing, the CPB leaders also urged the affluent people to extend a helping hand to the flood-affected people.

Saudi Arabia
UNB, Dhaka reports: Saudi King Abdullah ordered the Ministry of Finance to provide immediate assistance of $50 million to Bangladesh.

Quoting a statement of the Royal Court on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency said the aid will also include airlifting of medical relief, basic requirements and food in coordination with the Saudi Red Crescent Society, and cooperation of the humanitarian organisations and the Bangladesh government.

Netherlands
Terre des Hommes Netherlands has donated Tk 2.28 crore for emergency relief operation for the flood victims in Bangladesh, says a press release.

The funds will be utilised by its partner NGOs -- SSS in Tangail, POPI in Bhairab and Kuliarchar, UZ under Kishoreganj district, VERC at Sonargaon under Narayanganj district and SEEP in Dhaka district.

The emergency relief operation will support 91,250 people of 18,250 families.

The support includes distribution of rice, flattened rice, molasses, pulse, potato, soybean oil, salt, flour, biscuit, sugar, spices, alum and oral saline.

Medical treatment will be provided by SEEP and SSS while Alum will distribute purifying water.

After the recession of the flood waters, tube wells will be chlorinated and vegetable seeds will be distributed.

UNICEF
UNICEF has joined the UN response efforts to the floods in Bangladesh, says a press release.

US$ 3.6 million supply assistance is being provided through relevant government ministries for improving health, nutrition, water and sanitation for flood affected children and families. This assistance includes $1.8 million worth of pre-positioned items with funding support from DFID, the Netherlands, Canada and UNICEF National Committees.

UNICEF Representative Louis-Georges Arsenault, now on a two-day visit to the flood-affected Sirajganj and Tangail districts, said, "It is critical to recognise that children and women, especially children of female headed households, are the most affected by the floods."

UNICEF with DPHE had pre-positioned 10 Mobile Water Treatment Plants that are now deployed and working full time to serve people especially in the urban centres. Each plant is capable of treating 2,000 litres of water per hour. Water from the plants are also being transported to places where flood water is stagnant; 15 million water purification tablets delivered to DPHE are currently being distributed.

Items including 1,000 family kits, 22,000 plastic sheets, and 63.7 tons of BP5 biscuits for children, pregnant and lactating women were distributed in Sirajganj, Kurigram, Tangail and Jamalpur. Essential drugs and 200,000 IV saline were delivered to the health ministry.

BATB
British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) distributed relief materials in Manikganj on August 8-9 with the help of local government and joint forces, says a press release.

The relief materials include basic food items such as rice, lentil, molasses and parched rice, water purification tablet, oral saline and other medicines.

BATB will distribute more than 70 tons of food and medicines among 25,000 individuals of 5,000 families till August 14.