As Covid-19 cases rise in the country, it is of the utmost importance that we do not lose sight of the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are suffering due to flooding, most recently in Jamalpur and Sirajganj, where around 800,000 people were affected.
The wake of destruction that floods leave behind cannot be understated, as crops, road, infrastructure, and thousands of people’s homes and livelihoods are destroyed and washed away, leaving behind a most disheartening scenario.
As such, we must deal with this ongoing crisis with the utmost seriousness and ensure that those affected are provided with the food and aid required to ensure their survival to prevent their suffering.
Of course, we had received some encouragement from State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman that the government had remained ready with the necessary measures and provisions to combat the flooding situation, especially after we were made aware that they were predicted in 23 low-lying districts -- but it seems that such predictions and preparations have done little to abate the eventual suffering of thousands of people, leaving them vulnerable to death, poverty, and disease.
As a nation, we should have become better suited to handle such situations, as flooding is hardly a new phenomenon and, as one of the worst-affected nations due to climate change, we have enough of an understanding to figure out how to minimize suffering.
But that does not seem to have been the case. As we do our best to save the ones suffering now, we must do everything we can to ensure that, next time, we can prevent this from happening altogether.
