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BD floods draw int’l aids while India draws backlash

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Staff Reporter :

The devastating floods that have swept through the eastern region of Bangladesh have drawn much international support in the form of logistical and financial assistance.

Aiming at providing immediate relief and long-term recovery assistance to the affected people, The United Nations has pledged $4 million in aid to help mitigate the impact of the disaster.

“We wanted to let you know that the Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, has allocated $4 million from the UN’s own Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

That money will be used to support the response to the floods that have impacted nearly 6 million men, women and children in Bangladesh since late last month,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General said during a press briefing in UN Headquarters on Wednesday.

According to the UN, so far, a reported 500,000 people have been displaced in more than 3,400 evacuation shelters. Over 7,000 schools are closed due to flooding, impacting about 1.7 million young people who just want to go to school. The floods also caused an estimated $156 million loss in livestock and in fisheries.

“We, along with our humanitarian partners, are mobilized and supporting the Government-led flood response. We are also helping with local efforts to help the most vulnerable people and communities impacted by these floods,” he added.

The spokesperson further stated that this flood is the fourth major climate-related disaster to hit Bangladesh just this year. Since the end of May, nearly 13 million people, across land that covers about 30 per cent of Bangladesh, have been impacted by Cyclone Remal, northeastern and northern floods, and now these devastating flash floods.

Recently the UK government also announced a £450,000 (BDT 7 crores) in humanitarian assistance to support more than 36,000 people affected by flooding in eastern Bangladesh.

Even Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on August 24 reached out to the interim government of Bangladesh, extending an offer of aid to address the catastrophic impacts of recent flooding.

Even Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yousef SY Ramadan, also provided relief aid packages for flood victims in Bangladesh.

On the other hand, India, which shares a border with Bangladesh, has drawn criticism from the people and the interim government for opening sluices gates without prior warning, as international laws states, to the lower basin country Bangladesh.

This action resulted in a sudden and massive influx of water into the eastern region of Bangladesh, exacerbating the flooding and causing the death toll of over 50 people as well as the losses of agricultural crops and livestock.

At that time, adviser for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Syeda Rizwana Hasan criticised India for failing to notify Bangladesh before opening the gates of the Dumboor Hydroelectric Plant in Tripura.

“The government will ensure that Bangladesh, as the downstream country, is notified before India releases water from shared rivers,” she said while visiting flood-affected areas in Habiganj on August 23.

The opening of the sluice gates led to an immediate rise in water levels, overwhelming the region’s drainage systems and causing widespread destruction.

The resulting floods have led to significant losses of life, with many families losing their homes, crops, and livestock.

The impact on agriculture has been severe. Floodwaters have submerged farmlands, destroying crops and making it difficult for farmers to recover.

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