PM orders aid for flood victims

The government has rolled out a 10-point response plan to tackle the worsening flood and landslide situation in the Chattogram region, opening more than a thousand shelter centres, releasing relief assistance and deploying rescue teams to affected areas after days of relentless rainfall.

Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin, in a statement posted on his verified Facebook profile on Friday, said the Chattogram region had been struck by a sudden natural disaster that had created a deeply concerning humanitarian situation.

“In this critical situation, the Prime Minister has taken various humanitarian and effective measures with utmost promptness to bring the situation under control and stand beside the affected people,” the statement said.

According to the adviser, the Prime Minister is continuously overseeing the situation and receiving regular updates from the affected districts.

A total of 1,057 shelter centres have been opened across the disaster-hit areas of Chattogram Division, where more than 12,000 people have taken refuge.

Under the General Relief programme, the government has allocated Tk2.15 crore in cash and 3,450 tonnes of rice for affected residents in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.

Authorities said they have ensured the provision of safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, healthcare services, baby food and three meals a day in the affected areas.

The armed forces have been deployed, where necessary, alongside law enforcement agencies to carry out rescue operations in the hilly regions.

Local members of parliament and other elected representatives have also visited flood-hit areas across the division to inspect the damage, distribute relief materials and convey the Prime Minister’s message of support.

The statement said leaders and activists at all levels of the BNP and its affiliated and associate organisations have been instructed to stand beside the affected people through both personal and organisational initiatives.

It added that, under the Prime Minister’s directives, the government administration, various ministries, law enforcement agencies, the army and the Coast Guard are working in coordination from the grassroots to the national level to respond to the crisis.

The Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations have been postponed in the affected areas because of the flood and landslide situation.

Local administration officials, accompanied by local leaders and activists, have also visited the families of those killed and injured to express condolences and ensure necessary assistance.

To reduce future waterlogging, the government has planned to raise the 47-kilometre Chattogram-Dohazari railway line by five feet, with the tender process already under way.

The government also plans to relocate residents living in landslide-prone areas to safer locations.

The announcement comes as relentless rainfall continues to trigger floods and landslides across Bangladesh’s southeastern region.

Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Asadul Habib Dulu said on Thursday that at least 30 people have died in the disaster so far — 19 in Cox’s Bazar, five in Chattogram, five in Bandarban and one in Rangamati.

He added that 8,340 people are currently staying in shelters in Chattogram, while 126 have taken refuge in Rangamati, 1,755 in Khagrachhari and 2,173 in Bandarban.”