4 million people at risk in Bangladesh floods: IFRC

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Four million people are at risk of food insecurity and ailments as floods and landslides continue ravaging vast swathes of land in Bangladesh.

More than 66,000 homes have been already destroyed. Food and drinking water shortages are being reported, along with a rise in waterborne diseases, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.

“The communities are reeling under the full force of the monsoon rains and the ensuing floods and landslides. Even if the rains recede, overflowing rivers upstream will worsen the flooding in the lower areas in coming days,” said Azmat Ulla, the head of the Bangladesh Office of the IFRC.

Food crops are under threat of being wiped out by floods across major farming lands. There are fears that destruction of crops may lead to food shortages.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has mobilized 675 volunteers to support communities in the flood-affected districts. In addition to carrying out rapid assessments, teams are distributing food, clean water, hygiene kits and tarpaulins to families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the landslides.

IFRC has just released 452,439 Swiss francs ($460,784) from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund that will allow the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society to provide food, relief items and cash to 10,000 of most affected families living in the worst hit districts.

According to the Flood Information Centre of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, the water level in the country’s main rivers, Jamuna and Ganges-Padma, are increasing while it was decreasing in other rivers.

It also added citing Meteorological Department of Bangladesh and India that no heavy rainfall is expected in the upland areas in the next 24 hours.

Arifuzzaman Bhuyan, official at Flood Information Centre of the Bangladesh, told Anadolu Agency that current flood situation is likely to improve in next few days.

The country witnessed much worse situation in 2017 when 42% of the total land of Bangladesh submerged in flood waters bringing untold sufferings to millions of people.