Friday, September 14, 2007

Bangladesh Flood Response Update



13th September 2007 (numbers updated from 11th August)


Severe flooding again since Thursday 6th September....


Concern’s partner NGO rescue boat taking livestock to shelter, Boubardhan Char, Mohishkocha Union, Aditmari Upazila, Lalmonirhat District.  (Photo: Shehab, DRIK/Concern Sept 07.)• The floods have further deteriorated affecting 11.3 million people I,256 upazilas of 43 districts.
• The water levels in all major rivers continue to flow above the danger mark.
• Transplanted paddy 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.
• Hundreds of thousands of people have taken shelter on higher ground e.g embankments and roadsides as well as government buildings.
• The health services directorate general said death toll from diarrhoea, drowning, snakebite and respiratory diseases had reached 861 since flooding began in July.
• Patients with diarrhoea are again increasing and in Lalmonirhat district alone, 250 patients have been admitted in the last three days
• Over 65,000 homes completely and over 927 thousand homes partially destroyed
• 557 educational institutions completely destroyed and 7,686 partially damaged.
• 88 km of embankments completely, 863 km partially destroyed
• 78 bridges and culverts completely and 1692 partially destroyed

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 flooding in the south and the central areas is set to worsen, said the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre on Sunday.
• 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.
• Due to the tsunami in Sumatra, the water level in Bay of Bengal had slightly risen and this might slow down the recession of the flood waters.

Narrative

Country Level Update (numbers updated from 11th September)
Since Thursday 6th September floods have started afresh and it is feared that these will be worse than the August floods. the flood waters are much stronger, sweeping away and damaging everything in its path. The floods have further deteriorated affecting 11.3 million people I,256 upazilas of 43 districts. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken shelter on higher ground e.g embankments and roadsides as well as government buildings.

The health services directorate general said death toll from diarrhoea, drowning, snakebite and respiratory diseases had reached 861 since flooding began in July. Patients with diarrhoea are again increasing and in Lalmonirhat district alone, 250 patients have been admitted in the last three days

After the August flood waters had recede many farmers had started to replant their fields however, with the September floods all of this has been for nothing. The transplanted paddy 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.

The destruction to infrastructure is severe. Over 65,000 homes completely and over 927 thousand homes partially destroyed; 557 educational institutions completely destroyed and 7,686 partially damaged; 88 km of embankments completely, 863 km partially destroyed and 78 bridges and culverts completely and 1692 partially destroyed.

Other damage to the country as reported previously for the July/August floods are- 39 of the country's 64 districts in the north, centre and east were affected and over 89,000 homes completely and more than 650,000 homes partially destroyed. More than 16 million people 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 estimated value of over 150 million BDT. 532 educational institutions completely destroyed and 5,608 partially damaged and 2,817 km roads completely and 17,463 roads partially damaged.

In addition to the floods, there was a tsunami warning on the 12th as a result of the tsunami in Sumatra. Massive evacuations were carried out in the coastal areas and islands in Bangladesh, and though an increase in the water level in the Bay of Bengal was recorded, no damage was reported.

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, Manigonj, 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). 41.76 tons of High Energy Biscuits supplied by World Food Programme (WFP) and targeted specifically at children were distributed to 13,917 families in Faridpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur and Magura during 12-15 August.

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.

Photo

Jeba Khatun shifting the movable parts of her house to higher ground away from the rising flood waters, Boubardhan Char, Mohishkocha Union, Aditmari Upazila, Lalmonirhat District (Photo: Shehab, DRIK /Concern Sept 07.)
















Deojami village washed away by river erosion caused by the floods, Guddibari Union, Hatibandha Upazila, Lalmonirhat District (Photo: Shehab, DRIK /Concern Sept 07.)

















Afroza cooking in the doorway of her damaged house, Hatibandha Upazila, Lalmonirhat District(Photo: Shehab, DRIK /Concern Sept 07.)

















Concern’s partner NGO rescue boat taking a flood affected family and their livestock to shelter. (Photo: Shehab, DRIK /Concern Sept 07.)

















Raging flood waters rush through damaged embankment Hatibandha Upazila, Lalmonirhat District (Photo: Shehab, DRIK /Concern Sept 07.)

















Relief distribution in Shariatpur district presided by (left to right) Helen I’Anson, Concern ACD, C.H. Karim, Agriculture Advisor and Bijoy Krishna Nath (in white shirt), Regional Manager, Concern. (Photo: Mitul/Concern Sept 07.)

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