Nearly 3 million people are now affected by severe flooding in southeastern Bangladesh, with many families stranded as the water continues to rise after extremely heavy monsoon rains.
Islamic Relief and local partners are launching an emergency response to provide urgent aid to survivors and displaced families. Heavy rains are expected to continue over the next couple of days and the needs are likely to rise further. Five major rivers are currently above danger levels, with the Muhuri River in Feni district now at its highest recorded level in 40 years.
Mohamed Shamsuzzaman, Programme Manager for Islamic Relief in Bangladesh, says:
“Eight districts in the southeast are affected so far but the floods are spreading by the hour and the water level is still rising, with whole areas submerged and many homes destroyed. Thousands of people are homeless and sheltering under the open sky. Reaching survivors is extremely challenging as the floods have submerged major roads, damaged bridges, and disrupted communications networks.
“The needs are enormous right now, but crops and fish farms have also been damaged and washed away, which will have a longer-term impact on people’s livelihoods and access to food as well. We are hoping to provide emergency aid as soon as possible, and long-term support to affected families.
“Most of these affected areas are not usually prone to disasters, so haven’t experienced this level of flooding before. It means that many communities are unprepared and don’t know how to respond.”
Islamic Relief is preparing to distribute initial aid such as cash and hygiene kits to around 6,700 people in the coming days. The cash helps displaced families buy essential items such as food, water and shelter, while the hygiene kits help prevent diseases that can quickly spread after floods.
Islamic Relief’s initial response will help people in Feni and Comilla districts. Other affected districts include Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Chittagong, Noakhali and Khagrachhari.
