Hundreds of thousands of people of the coastal areas, remained stranded for several days due to floods, have been suffering from shortages of drinking water and food as the rains continue.
Floodwater is receding from most of the affected areas of Cox’s Bazar, where at least 20 people including Rohingya refugees were killed last week due to flood and landslides.
Another child, Zahidul Islam, 12, died in floodwater at Purba Goakhali village under Pekua Upazila of Cox’s Bazar on Friday.
Zahidul went missing while playing with his friends in the water. Later, locals found his body after a search, local UP Member Sazzad Hossain said.
Authorities have primarily estimated a loss of Tk32 crore in the district, saying that some 250,000 people from 51 out of 71 unions were marooned by the flood, caused by the low formed in the Bay.
Also Read - 14 die due to floods, landslides
The district administration has distributed 300 tons of rice, 2,000 packets of dry food, and Tk15 lakh as cash among the people in distress, reports our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.
Local lawmakers Saimun Sarwar Kamal and Zafar Alam, and Cox’s Bazar Municipality Mayor Mujibur Rahman were seen coordinating relief activities in the affected areas.
The damage to croplands, fish and salt farms, houses and roads caused by the flood is getting visible now with the floodwater going down. Residents of these areas are now struggling to manage food and drinking water.
Deputy Commissioner Md Mamunur Rashid on Friday said that they would increase the allocation of food aid for the people.
Also Read - Chittagong families relocated fearing landslides
The authorities would start repairing the roads and other establishments after assessing the situation, he added.
Khulna region faces huge loss
Authorities in Khulna estimate that the fish farms alone suffered a loss of over Tk108 crore due to rain in the last few days, reports our Khulna correspondent.
A good number of houses, croplands and roads have gone under water in Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts as the water level of the rivers have increased by around two feet in some areas.
The people are facing a drinking water crisis due to an increase in salinity in the area, they allege.
In Bagerhat, more than 50,000 families living in the low-lying areas have remained stranded. Fishes of around 17,000 enclosures and ponds have washed away, causing the farmers a loss worth over Tk11 crore, said District Fisheries Officer ASM Rasel.
Officials warn that the damage and sufferings of the people may increase manifold if the floodwater does not recede soon.
