Locals in six upazilas in flood-hit Comilla complaine on Monday that they have only been receiving government relief since the flood began on Thursday.
They allege that due to a lack of media attention in the distant areas, private firms and volunteers are not entering their localities. There is also a shortage of boats in the six upazilas, they added.
The flood protection embankment along the Gomti River in Comilla collapsed on Thursday, and water is still entering localities through the exposed gap.
The dam collapsed due to excessive rainfall and water inflow from India and affected hundreds of families.
On Saturday, fresh water coming through the gap inundated Brahmanpara Upazila.
The embankment along the Salda and the Ghungur rivers also collapsed in the meantime. As a result, new areas have been flooded in the past 48 hours.
The situation has turned severe in Laksam, Manoharganj, Chouddagram, Sadar Dakshin, Lalmai and Nangalkot.
The flood-affected people were seen waiting for relief in Burichang. They had come from all over Comilla. But due to the current situation, vehicles carrying relief are being forced to go back. These vehicles usually use the Kharpar-Mahishmara road to enter Burichang.
But the road is currently under water, and there is also a severe shortage of boats to reach the flood-hit people.
Moreover, people who are not really affected by floods were also seen queueing up for relief. This made the relief effort even more complicated.
In many cases, volunteers are giving away relief material to whoever they are encountering in the inundated areas.
Some volunteers said they were harassed by locals when they were reluctant to give away relief without verifying whether the crowd really needed any assistance.
Some locals said that due to these harassments, those who really need relief are being deprived, and volunteers are leaving the area for the sake of their safety.
They alleged that there is mismanagement by the authorities and a lack of supervision by the law enforcers. They think the scenario could have been different if there were an adequate number of military personnel present in the flood-hit areas.
Flood-hit people in Laksam, Manoharganj, Chouddagram, Sadar Dakshin, Lalmai and Nangalkot complained that, as Burichang and Brahmantpara are close to the city, these two locations got excessive media coverage. As a result, there is a disparity in relief distribution in most of the flood-affected areas.
Shahadat from Manoharganj said they received some relief brought by the local authorities, but relief from private organizatons did not reach them.
Yusuf Molla, president of a volunteer organization named Bibek, said that all 14 upazilas in Comilla are affected by the flood. Therefore, relief material must be equally distributed to all the affected people.
Rokeya Begum Shefali, executive director of AID Cumilla, said the local authorities must step up to ensure the proper distribution of relief.
Burichang Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahida Akhter said they are distributing an adequate amount of relief to the flood-hit people. She admitted that there is some mismanagement in the distribution of private relief. She also called on the government to deploy an adequate number of Army personnel on the Shashangaccha-Burichang Road.
Comilla Deputy Commissioner Khandaker Mushfikur Rahman also called on the private organisations and volunteers to distribute relief equally among all the affected people.
