Authorities and humanitarian organization are now focusing on preventing the spread of waterborne diseases, a very common aftermath of floods, with cases of diarrhea and pneumonia already reported in some affected areas.
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Bangladesh is facing “unprecedented” challenges as it deals with the aftermath of deadly floods that affected the eastern part of the country.
The floods have affected an estimated 5.9 million people – including more than 2 million children – and left at least 71 dead as of Tuesday. More than half a million people were displaced, with thousands currently at evacuation shelters.
The flash floods, triggered by heavy rainfall and upstream water flows from India, have had a devastating impact on communities across 11 districts in the eastern regions of the country. Noakhali, Cumilla, Laxipur, Feni, Chattogram, and Moulvibazar were among the worst-hit districts.
These are the worst floods in 34 years to affect this part of Bangladesh.
Around 7,000 schools have been impacted by the floods, affecting 1.7 million primary students across the flood-hit districts.
Nearly 300,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed by floodwaters, while initial fisheries and livestock losses amounted to US$122 million and $34 million, respectively. Major rivers in the Chattogram and Sylhet are “flowing well above danger levels,” further exacerbating the situation, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking from the southeastern district of Feni, the epicenter of the flooding, UNICEF Deputy Representative to Bangladesh Emma Brigham on Monday talked about “unprecedented times” in the country as she appealed for support.
“Bangladesh is a country that is normally very good at dealing with cyclones, with flooding, they happen all too frequently. But this case is different. It’s happened in an area that doesn’t normally suffer from cyclones and flooding so the preparedness levels were not what they should’ve been amongst communities,” Bringham told CNN.
UNICEF has been providing supplies to more than 850,000 people, including 3.7 million water purification tablets, dehydration salt, hygiene kits, and critical medicines, she said.
Authorities and humanitarian organization are now focusing on preventing the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and hepatitis A, a very common aftermath of floods that can arise from contaminated floodwater and poor sanitation.
Speaking from a shelter in Noakhali that is housing around 1,000 families, Deepika Sharma, Chief of Nutrition at UNICEF Bangladesh said there had already been numerous cases of diarrhea and pneumonia and there was an “impending danger” of other disease outbreaks. She added that many children in the area were malnourished owing to a lack of clean water and food for “at least” the past week.
Schools submerged.
Crops destroyed.
Water sources contaminated.
Families displaced.The floods in Bangladesh are endangering children’s lives and crippling essential services.
Urgent #ClimateAction is critical—for every child’s survival. pic.twitter.com/DgvCiCVGQZ
— UNICEF Bangladesh (@UNICEFBD) September 3, 2024
As of Tuesday, most communities in Feni had been reached by rescue teams but UNICEF estimates that about 50% of households in the Noakhali district south of Feni were still cut out.
Damaged communication lines and widespread electricity outages have complicated rescue efforts and the coordination of all parties on the ground, said Bringham.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, which increases the frequency, severity and unpredictability of cyclones, floods and other extreme weather events. The climate crisis is disproportionately affecting Asia. Last year, the continent was hit by a total of 79 water hazard-related disasters, which resulted in more than 2,000 fatalities and directly affected 9 million people.
Featured image: UN Women Asia and the Pacific/Flickr.
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