Bangladesh Flood Response Update

10th September 2007 (numbers updated from 19th August)


Severe Flooding Again…
• Thousands have been marooned since Thursday 6th September in fresh floods. For the second time 23 districts have been inundated.
• The security fuse of the Teesta Barrage was damaged on Friday by the sudden onrush of water, causing fresh flooding in the north, Water Development Board officials said.The prevailing flood situation in the north-eastern districts has, meanwhile, deteriorated. Flooding in the south and the central areas is set to worsen, said the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Sunday.
• The water levels in all major rivers have registered a sudden rise and continue to flow above the danger mark.
• Over 30 thousand families of the districts are seriously affected.
• Transplanted aman crop, seed beds and vegetables on vast expanse of land have been inundated by the flood water. Erosion has also taken a serious turn in many places.
• Affected people are going back from their homes to the flood shelters, government buildings and on high roads to take refuge from the new floods.
• The health services directorate general said death toll from diarrhoea, drowning, snakebite and respiratory diseases had reached 833 since flooding began in July

Forecast
• Experts said flooding this time might take a serious turn, affecting major structures such as the Teesta Barrage in the north and the Kaptai Dam in Chittagong.
• The prevailing flood situation in the north and north-eastern districts has deteriorated and flooding in the south and the central areas is set to worsen, said the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Sunday.
• Bangladesh meteorological Department (BMD) yesterday forecast moderate rainfall at many places over the country during next 24hrs.
• The floods are expected to get worse in the next two days before receding.
• Experts fear that flooding this time might drag on for a longer period of time and the eastern fringe of the capital might be inundated within four or five days.

Overall damage to the country as assessed by government due to August floods is as follows-
• More than 16 million people in 251 sub-districts under 39 districts have been badly affected by the floods which has damaged their homesteads, livelihoods and impacted on their health.
• Approximately 1.5 million acres of agricultural crops (seedbeds, transplanted seedlings, vegetables and standing jutes) are partially or fully damaged, with the approximate worth over 230 billion BDT.
• Fisheries worth 1.98 billion BDT and livestock worth 160 million BDT were destroyed.
• 532 educational institutions completely destroyed and 5608 partially damaged.
• 2,817 km roads completely and 17,463 roads partially damaged
• Over 89,000 homes completely and over 650,000 homes partially destroyed

Emergency Interventions

Concern Worldwide Response
Concern Worldwide with its partner organisations again started search and rescue operations from 8th September while the waters were rising fast and washing away everything in their path. 451 families from the chars and eroding riverbanks have been rescued and taken to flood shelters. The flood affected families were rescued with as much of their belongings as possible.

Concern Worldwide continues its previously planned relief operations from 4th September to distribute relief to 31,000 families in 10 of the most severely affected districts hit by floods which have devastated parts of Bangladesh last month. The districts are Kurigram, Sirajgonj, Gaibandha, Bogra, Mainkgonj, Faridpur, Shariatpur, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Rajbari. The distribution in Jamalpur and Sherpur have been slightly revised due to the fresh flooding. Extremely poor families – many of whom have lost what little assets they own, have been given special focus as recipients for relief packages. The relief packages consist of both food and non-food items. The relief package for each family include: 30 kg rice, 3 kg lentils (pulse), 2 litres vegetable oil, 1 kg salt, 10 packets of soya protein biscuits, 5 ORS packets and 3 pieces of soap. This operation is being funded by the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO).

Previously Concern completed a relief response to an initial 11,000 families in Sirajganj, Manikganj and Faridpur between 31st July and 9th August funded by Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA). High Energy Biscuits supplied by World Food Programme (WFP) and targeted specifically at children were distributed to 13,916 families in Faridpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur and Magura.

Another phase of relief distribution (funded by Concern Worldwide) targeting 24,500 families in the 8 districts of Tangail, Nilphamari, Sirajgonj, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Rajbari, districts was carried out between 9th and 23rd August.

For emergency response, Concern continues to contact different donors to ensure adequate resources to implement its overall emergency response plan. The funding received so far are from: ECHO (€500,000), Irish Aid (€441,000); JOA (about €34,000) and Credit Union (€10,000). Concern Worldwide headquarter has also launched a flood appeal to raise money to support the flood victims.