3.3 lakh poor to get relief

The government has taken a 100-day scheme to distribute relief among at least 3.3 lakh ultra-poor families affected by the flash flood in haor areas.

As part of the scheme, each family in six districts will receive 30kg of rice and Tk 500 per month, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said after an inter-ministerial meeting with secretaries of all relevant ministries.

The districts are Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Sylhet, Netrakona, Habiganj and Moulvibazar. To support the flood-affected people, the government would need 35,000 tonnes of rice and Tk 50 crore initially, the minister added.

On the other side, the government would ensure sales of rice at Tk 10 per kg and Tk 15 per kg respectively for middle-income and upper middle-class families who do not take relief.

The secretaries of finance, agriculture, food, water resources, fisheries and livestock, and environment, among other officials, were present at the meeting held at the disaster management ministry with Maya in the chair.

A high-powered committee has been formed headed by an additional secretary of disaster management with a joint secretary of all the ministries concerned as members. They would visit the affected areas and submit a report with recommendations in 15 days.

Although the government has taken up the 100-day scheme, relief distribution would continue until the situation returns to normal and people could cultivate next year's crops, Maya said, adding that those people were dependant on one-time crops annually.

He said the flash flood had affected more than 80 percent areas in one or two districts. Replying to a query, he added no such situations had been created so that the government would have to declare those districts disaster-prone areas.

He however urged the leaders of all political parties to visit the affected districts and stand beside the victims. The minister also sought help from the media to publish reports based on factual data and information about the flash flood.

Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah has meanwhile said there has been a loss of six lakh tonnes of rice in the six affected districts. But in the upland, a 0.35 percent increase in production is estimated due to raining, therefore the loss could be covered and the targeted annual production of 1.51 crore tonnes of rice could be achieved, he added.

Water Resources Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan said a scheme had been taken to see if the dams constructed in the 1960s could be upped by one metre keeping in mind the present reality of climate change.

In another programme, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud said his ministry had nothing to do at this moment but learning lessons from the disaster in the haor areas.

“At this moment, what water resources ministry can do is to learn lessons from what has happened [in haor]. Apart from this, actually, [we] have nothing to do,” the minister told reporters while replying to a question at a press briefing.

He said certain matters should be evaluated whether the height of the embankments would have to be increased or changes in the variety of the crops be brought after the catastrophe. Harvesting time was longer for the variety of rice -- BR-29 -- grown in haor areas, he observed.

Terming the flash flood “unprecedented”, the minister said the flood had occurred as the water level overtopped the dams. Although flash floods happened in this region, this time the flood hit earlier than usual, he noted.

Prior to March 29, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya of India received 1,100mm of rainfall in nine days, while Sylhet and Sunamganj each received about 450mm and 500mm of rainfall respectively, he said, adding that the excessive rain was the reason for the untimely flood.

On allegations of corruption in various projects of the Water Development Board in the haor areas, the minister said, “We are working on it to see if there were any irregularities in payment and other issues. If we find any allegations to be true, stern action will be taken.”