Floods have become a staple of monsoons in Bangladesh, and this year is no different. Heavy rainfall towards the beginning of the month and a rush of water from upstream have resulted in massive flooding of the northeast and northern districts of the country, with forecasts indicating the situation will exacerbate in the future.
Annually, millions of people are affected by floods, with hundreds succumbing to fatal consequences. According to CNN, in 2022, four million people had been impacted by this disastrous calamity. While casualties are not as severe this time around, a number of farmers in the northern parts of the country have incurred substantial crop losses. Aside from personal losses, this is damaging for the country as a whole, especially in a time of global economic slowdown and the rising cost of food materials.
Furthermore, the risk of waterborne diseases has increased manifolds in affected areas. All of this necessitates proper government intervention with special priority given to farmers, as the fallout from that could disrupt the entire country.
However, these are reactive measures. Given the annual nature of this calamity, authorities need to employ pro-active measures to help mitigate the effects of this calamity in a sustainable way.
River banks have to be strengthened to make sure the water does not spill over, while reinforced floodgates have to be utilized to avoid the consequences of the upstream water rush. Farmers have to be empowered to incorporate better drainage systems in their fields to make sure that their crops stay safe.
With Bangladesh's geographical position and the global climate crisis, natural disasters like this will only worsen. We must be prepared.
