Haor people need rehabilitation

Public representatives and development workers at a press conference in the capital yesterday said inhabitants of flashflood-hit Haor areas need immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation as their livelihood has been affected badly.

They said the early flashflood hit vast low lands in several districts including Sunamganj and Kishorganj and damaged their only crop paddy entirely while fish and fowls also died.

Development organisation Brac held the press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Speaking at the conference, newly elected Sunamganj-2 lawmaker Joya Sengupta said around 2.72 lakh people were affected in the two upazilas -- Dirai and Sulla -- under her constituency. In Dirai, 20,000 hectares of agricultural lands were inundated while in Sulla it is 18, 160 hectares, she said.

“Very few of Haor people have alternative source of income. They need a little support to rise again,” she added.

Gawher Nayeem Wahra, director of the Brac Disaster Management and Climate Change programme, said considering their miserable condition this year the government must not lease out Haor fisheries to influential people and ensure of affected people's access there.

Brac took initiative to distribute relief goods to Haor people, he added.

Nazmul Haque, executive director of Institute of Development Affairs, alleged the Haor embankment project which could have saved crops was not implemented in due time this year.

He said a fair probe is needed to find out people involved in such corruption and ensure their punishment.