People reel from flood

Although flood situation in 20 districts has improved in last few days, thousands are still suffering due to shortage of food, pure drinking water and other essentials.

Many of the victims of the flood-hit districts are yet to get relief materials although the district administrations concerned have already allocated money and rice for them.

However, the amount of relief materials being distributed is too scanty.

On an average, a flood victim has received only 1.69 kilograms of rice and Tk 3.16 in cash from the government until September 3, according to a calculation based on the data of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).

A report uploaded by the DDM in its website says, total 29.35 lakh people of 6,21,595 families in 20 districts were affected by the flood that started from mid-August.

The government allocated 7,550 tonnes of rice and Tk 1.56 crore to them, but the local administration managed to distribute only 4,950 tonnes of rice and Tk 92,82,500 to the victims.

The DDM has instructed the district administrations to distribute 20 kg rice and Tk 1000 to each of the affected families, but the calculation suggests that each family received 7.96 kilograms of rice and Tk 14.94 on an average.

"Many district administrations are not following instructions. I think the local administrations have exaggerated the number of victims," said Iftekharul Islam, director (relief) of the DDM.

Amid such anomalies, the flood victims in many areas are facing immense problems due to shortage of food and cash.

"My house is damaged in the flood and I am now living at a relative's house. But I was neither included in the government list nor provided any relief," said Nazrul Islam, a farmer at Bachamara village of Daulatpur upazila of Manikganj yesterday. He is one of the so many victims in Daulatpur.

Shahida Ferdous, deputy commissioner of Manikganj, said the district administration distributed 10 kilograms of rice to each of 1000 families of Daulatpur upazila, and was enlisting the flood victims in other upazilas for distributing relief materials later.

While some families received 10 kilograms of rice each, many others were yet to get anything as the district administration could not reach them, report our correspondents in different districts.

Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman, additional deputy commissioner of Lalmonirhat, said there are sufficient relief materials in stock, and they would distribute more when necessary.

Flood victims in many villages like South Mandra, Atigaon, Bidgaon, Banari, Nagarjowar, Pachonkhola of Tongibari upazila did not get any relief, according to reports received from Munshiganj on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) in its bulletin on Saturday said flood situation was improving as the water level of all the major rivers was falling.

However, water in five points of Kangsha in Netrakona, Dhaleswari in Tangail, Lakhya in Gazipur, Old Dhaleswari in Manikganj and Balu in Dhaka was flowing above danger levels, said FFWC.

Operation of ferries in Mawa- Kawrakandi route also started becoming normal with receding of water in the Padma.

However, people of many flood-hit districts have been facing many water-borne diseases like diarrhoea and skin diseases, report correspondents.