Coping and recovering from the flood

Publish: 8:55 PM, July 16, 2020 | Update: 8:55 PM, July 16, 2020

The countrywide flood that has affected nearly one-third of the country in varying intensities still shows no signs of being over fairly soon. Met office stated that the flood situation has been improving. But the latest forecasts say the situation improved in the northern districts but seems poised to turn worse in the central districts including Dhaka. Other reports say that there could be a second round of flooding after the waters recede from fresh flood waters rolling downwards from India where the flood situation could worsen again. Therefore some forecasts suggest the possibility of a long lingering flood. But whatever the situation finally, the administration must start girding up their loins for a short as well as ‘longer’ term recovery plan after the flood. It is no more to be considered as localized floods for some weeks only . Emergency actions to set up temporary shelters, provide supplies of food and medicines there, rescuing the marooned ones and bringing them to the flood centres, all of these things and more must be at the centre of attention of the governmental administration for now. Some reports indicate that these activities are short of need.

But these things are basic activities to save life. It appears that government has embarked on such activities but the scale of the same and distribution of ready cash and other succor among the flood-hit, is not adequate, according to these reports. Besides, private effort to reach relief to affected ones or to launch flood-related assistance activities, have also remained quite limited so far. Thus, revamping of the urgent official activities to aid the flood victims as well as facilitating and encouraging private such efforts, are very necessary.

Problems and needs of far greater dimensions will be certainly encountered as soon as the flood waters start receding for good. Homesteads in large number have been devastated by the flood. The standing aman crop in many places have perished. Thus, people will go back from relief centres to their homes to find the same damaged or washed away. The destruction of the aman rice crop and other crops all over the country could be some 20 or 30 per cent ; the actual position in this respect will become clear at the end of the flood. Many small producers of goods and service providers have suffered damages and dislocations in their enterprises from the flood. Some 10 million people are considered to have been affected badly by the flood in different ways that affected their income and occupations. The purchasing power of such people has eroded dangerously. Thus, the post flood situation will pose a huge problem of recovery of these people to normal life and to this end they would be badly in need of governmental assistance to rebuild or repair homes, to resume agricultural activity and other professions.

Many of them would not be able to buy food for a period and would have to depend on a free feeding programme by the government or they will have to be helped to buy foodgrains at nominal costs. Loans for home building and repairs, agricultural loans and a one time allocation of money to the affected families will have to extended. Government must also lose no time as soon as the flood waters go down to repair roads and other transportation related infrastructures which have been damaged or destroyed. This is imperative to enable the full scale resumption of economic activities throughout the country.

Therefore, a proper recovery programme is waiting to be conducted mainly by the government after the flood and to this end all kinds of preparation and, more significantly, mobilization of funds ought to start immediately. Government should consider diverting funds from other sectors to be able to meet the demands of post-flood recovery. Even diversion of resources from the Annual Development Plan (ADP) for the flood recovery programme would be justified under the circumstances. Foreign assistance may be sought and the same should be graciously accepted as well as issuing a call through the UN and other international forums for such assistance. There is no shame in taking generous international help when confronted with a natural disaster which may partly or fully overwhelm national capacities. Even the richest country in the world, the USA, accepted international assistance in the wake of the catastrophic cyclones that struck it some years ago.

Specially, government’s getting busy to handle the added challenge posed by the flood in the midst of the corona threat, will be watched by countrymen as the government’s real resolve to be undaunted by come whatever may when it comes to addressing to the best of its abilities the enormous problems facing the country today.