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Three weeks have passed since the catastrophic floods in northeastern Bangladesh. The floods have affected every aspect of people’s lives. Residents of the area are facing extreme distress, this reporter found out.
A visit to the affected districts of Sylhet and Sunamganj showed flood victims living on the side of the Sylhet-Sunamganj Highway or in other people’s homes.
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The victims have nothing left — cooking utensils, fuel and most importantly, rice. On July 10, 2022, when this reporter visited the area, the scenes were distressing.
Vehicles were running on the busy highway, unmindful of the victims, many of whom have built temporary huts. At lunch time, a baby’s mother tried to cook rice spoilt by the floods.
Sirajul Islam, a resident of Joykalas Noagaon village in Joykals Union of Sunamganj Sadar upazila (sub-ditrict), said, “I had stored 1.89 tonnes of rice in my house. It has been swept away by the flood. This rice would have fed the six members of my family for six months.”
Islam had received the rice in lieu of cultivating other people’s land during the boro (Rabi) season. “The cost of cultivating the land was 25,000 taka (Rs 21,155). I borrowed this money to cultivate the land. Now, I have to repay the loan. We also have to get food for the next six months,” he said.
Dilara Begum, a resident of the same village, had 2.8 tonnes of rice in her house. Her house and rice were washed away. Dilara wailed as she sat on the floor: “How will my life go on now?”
Many others like Sirajul Islam and Dilara Begum are living in huts at Ahsanmara on the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway. They have been finding it difficult to obtain three meals a day. Government and non-government organisations distribute emergency relief assistance
There are a few more huts near Jawa Bazaar on the same highway. People living in them are from the South Sunamganj and Chhatak upazilas of Sunamganj district.
Their houses were washed away. One such person is Saeed Mia. His small house in East Pagla Union was on the banks of the Buka river. It was washed away during the deluge. Another such flood victim is Mala Begum.
The inhuman life of the flood victims in the shelter. Photo taken from North Kushiyara Secondary School, Fenchuganj Upazila, Sylhet. Photo: Rafiqul Islam Montu
This reporter witnessed some of the greatest destitution in the North Kushiyara Union of the Fenchuganj upazila in Sylhet district. The Union (the smallest rural administrative and local government unit in Bangladesh) is home to 43,000 people. This year’s floods have submerged 95 per cent of the homes here.
Five relief shelters have been opened for the people of the North Kushiyara Union since the floods. But many of these are themselves flooded.
All the houses in Innatalipur village of South Surma upazila and Sonapur village of Fenchuganj upazila are still at least five feet under water. The relief shelter opened at the Innatali Government Primary School is flooded. Many people from Sonapur village have taken shelter in the North Kushiyara Secondary School.
One such flood victim is Nashira Begum, an old woman. “We have been in this shelter for 20 days. I don’t know how long I will have to stay here. We are in a lot of trouble. It is very difficult to get food three times a day,” she told this reporter.
Babul Mia, a resident of Kalipur village, has also been living in the same shelter with his wife and children since the floods. Mia is a daily-wage labourer. His family lived on the money he earned daily. But now, there is nothing.
“We have faced floods before. But I have not seen such a strong flood like this year. The water rose very fast. We couldn’t take our furniture and rice elsewhere. We just rushed to the shelter to save our lives,” he said.
Ahmed Jilu, chairman of the North Kushiyara Union, said, “We have provided as much emergency food as possible to the people affected by the floods. But after the floodwaters recede, they will have to start from scratch.” He said No post-flood rehabilitation initiatives had been started yet.
Some 18 districts of Bangladesh are flood-affected at the moment. Officials have not yet released full figures on the number of people affected by the floods.
However, a media statement from the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh said about 7.2 million people had been severely affected by the devastating flash floods that began in May, with a second wave starting June 15.