we remember that during the extensive flooding in 1996 the government handled the situation admirably. The armed forces were deployed and these defence personnel provided ration to the marooned people. The authorities can think of taking similar measures if the district administrations find the situation too burdensome to deal with

Coping with the flood

An exclusive report published in this newspaper on Saturday has effectively brought to the fore the grim plight of the flood victims. The report stated that thousands of flood-affected people, passing their days in misery, are in need of relief and potable water, but it seems their cries for help have not reached the administration. Incessant rain and onrush of water from the hills have worsened the situation, leaving the hapless people  trapped in flood waters for several days. The magnitude of floods has intensified over the past few days and has inundated vast areas of the northern districts, such as Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, etc. Millions of people have been cut off from the rest of the country, and the floods have destroyed crops worth millions of takas.
The authorities must act promptly before the flooding takes an even more serious turn. We remember that during the extensive flooding in 1996 the government handled the situation admirably. The armed forces were deployed and these defence personnel provided ration to the marooned people. Not only that, they helped evacuate flood victims from places where the situation was extremely precarious. The authorities can think of taking similar measures if the district administrations find the situation too burdensome to deal with.
The government over the years claimed that Bangladesh demonstrated effective flood management with  improvement of early warning and its dissemination, establishment of  shelter, institutional development and community participation for flood preparedness and response that reduced the risk and loss from flood tremendously. So why the situation has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent is a question that arises quite naturally. Another question is what has happened to Bangladesh’s flood prevention  efforts? It is now several decades that Bangladesh has been regularly spending about 20 percent of the budget on water development projects. A number of Flood Action Programs (FAP) have been implemented. Yet, as this year’s flood shows, we are yet to have a grip on the flood-problem. More than 2,400 recorded deaths from 25 floods have occurred in Bangladesh since 2000, according to the Brussels-based international disaster database known as EM-DAT. Flood is an issue of major public importance. Decisions regarding such an issue should not be made exclusively by narrow circles of bureaucrats and technocrats, either domestic or foreign. Major public discussion should to be held.
Be that as it may the authorities must utilise all the resources at their disposal to cope with the present situation.

we remember that during the extensive flooding in 1996 the government handled the situation admirably. The armed forces were deployed and these defence personnel provided ration to the marooned people. The authorities can think of taking similar measures if the district administrations find the situation too burdensome to deal with

Coping with the flood

An exclusive report published in this newspaper on Saturday has effectively brought to the fore the grim plight of the flood victims. The report stated that thousands of flood-affected people, passing their days in misery, are in need of relief and potable water, but it seems their cries for help have not reached the administration. Incessant rain and onrush of water from the hills have worsened the situation, leaving the hapless people trapped in flood waters for several days. The magnitude of floods has intensified over the past few days and has inundated vast areas of the northern districts, such as Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Bogra, Sirajganj, etc. Millions of people have been cut off from the rest of the country, and the floods have destroyed crops worth millions of takas. The authorities must act promptly before the flooding takes an even more serious turn. We remember that during the extensive flooding in 1996 the government handled the situation admirably. The armed forces were deployed and these defence personnel provided ration to the marooned people. Not only that, they helped evacuate flood victims from places where the situation was extremely precarious. The authorities can think of taking similar measures if the district administrations find the situation too burdensome to deal with. The government over the years claimed that Bangladesh demonstrated effective flood management with improvement of early warning and its dissemination, establishment of shelter, institutional development and community participation for flood preparedness and response that reduced the risk and loss from flood tremendously. So why the situation has been allowed to deteriorate to this extent is a question that arises quite naturally. Another question is what has happened to Bangladeshs flood prevention efforts? It is now several decades that Bangladesh has been regularly spending about 20 percent of the budget on water development projects. A number of Flood Action Programs (FAP) have been implemented. Yet, as this years flood shows, we are yet to have a grip on the flood-problem. More than 2,400 recorded deaths from 25 floods have occurred in Bangladesh since 2000, according to the Brussels-based international disaster database known as EM-DAT. Flood is an issue of major public importance. Decisions regarding such an issue should not be made exclusively by narrow circles of bureaucrats and technocrats, either domestic or foreign. Major public discussion should to be held. Be that as it may the authorities must utilise all the resources at their disposal to cope with the present situation.