Disaster resilience is the key
Increased
co-ordination between various agencies and within the government will go a long way in getting relief to the right areas as quickly and efficiently as possible
The flood situation has worsened in several districts across the country as many rivers continued to overflow over the red mark. Especially the northern region of the country is badly hit. Flood in Bangladesh is the most frequently occurring natural calamity. Its a bleak reality that the people of this country have learnt to accept. But as floods in Bangladesh repeats every other year we should adopt preventive measures and resort to stand-in plans for minimizing its detrimental effects.
Rather alarmingly, the timing and margin of floods are becoming abrupt and lengthier. In short, it is affecting more people and destroying vast expanses of croplands directly. Reportedly, some more 50,000 people of 50 villages of the flood-hit unions were marooned in the last few days. Due to adverse negative effects of climate change coupled with the monsoon rain water flowing in from the hilly parts, the current situation is likely to get worse.
As a matter of fact, the direct and indirect effects should have been forecasted based on the recurrence and patterns of earlier floods. But the question is: why cant we gradually improve and upgrade our preparedness scopes and levels? Battling a fearsome natural calamity like flood with stopgap measures is not sustainable. It is also a display of lackadaisical frame of mind, similar to leave things in the hands of nature. We must collectively get out of this attitude and work together by not entrusting all duties in the hands of the government.
Increased co-ordination between various agencies and within the government will go a long way in getting relief to the right areas as quickly and efficiently as possible. Efforts must also be beefed up on repairing embankments and damaged infrastructure. Stocks of emergency supplies should also be built up for remote areas where aid is difficult to supply.
So, given the nature of floods and its consequences disaster resilience is the key. It is expected that the government to put extra focus on the worsening flood situations and therefore plan to cope with it in advance. More specifically, the focus should be on building disaster-resilient roads, bridges, paved trading areas, integrated water supply systems, efficient power supply systems, and proper drainage and sanitation facilities.
However, besides planning for long term sustainable plans we must immediately gather resources for carrying out big scale relief operations. Moreover, plans for rehabilitation should be made quickly so that any major outbreak of diseases can be contained and economic rehabilitation of the flood affected people can get rolling as soon as the situation improves.
