Although the receding water levels of river Padma had managed to bring some relief to Rajbari’s flood-affected people in the last couple of days, the victims are facing a new challenge of meeting the demand of cattle fodder for their livestock.
Several hundred flood-victims from around 20 shoals in the area are still living at flood shelters or elevated grounds with their belonging and livestock, as their land and homestead remain underwater because of the flooding.
Most of the flood-affected people had to leave behind their stock of fodders at home, while the inundation of the grazing land had made the fodder shortage more acute.
The flood-victims had so far received 20kg of rice and other goods as relief material from the local union parishads, but Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Goalanda Sarwar Hossain told this correspondent that the cattle brought to the shelters could not be fed, as there had been no fodder allocated by the government.
Nazim uddin, 65, a resident of Dakatpara village in Daulatdia union, said he came to a local flood shelter with his belongings and cattle, as there was not an inch of earth left above water at his village.
Feroza Begum, 45, another flood-victim from Purbo Charbethury area, said cattle- rearing, which is the main livelihood of thousands of shoal residents, was under threat as the flood had claimed all the grazing fields.
Zamirun Begum, 55, who had taken shelter near the Daulatdia ferry terminal, said although the family managed to move their belongings and livestock, the animals were now facing an acute shortage of fodder .
Another flood-victim, Atahar Ali from Chhoto Dhakla village, said he had to send his 10 cows to a relative’s house, as it was hard for the cattle to survive on the flood shelter embankment.
The District Livestock Officer Haripad Bishwash said 10 cattle had so far died during the floods. Authorities concerned had requested the government to allocate fodder as subsidy, he added.
The Goalanda UNO informed that the flood situation was improving because of receding water levels, adding that the affected people would be able to return home within a week.
The water level in river Padma was 47.2cm on Wednesday, which is 18.3cm below the danger level.
