Govt orders coordinated flood response, damage assessment

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday urged all ministries, divisions and agencies to work together to tackle the ongoing flood situation triggered by heavy rainfall and hill runoff in different parts of Bangladesh.

He made the call at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Cabinet Division conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat, where officials discussed emergency response, relief operations and post-flood rehabilitation plans.

Mirza Fakhrul said coordinated efforts were essential to reduce public suffering and ensure that government assistance reached affected communities without delay.

“There is no alternative to coordinated efforts to alleviate public suffering under the current circumstances,” he said, urging every ministry and agency to properly fulfil their responsibilities.

He said authorities concerned must give priority to rescue operations, relief distribution, healthcare services, safe drinking water supply and the restoration of damaged infrastructure.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government was working with full commitment to address the disaster following the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

He stressed the need for transparency and accountability in relief distribution, saying assistance must reach genuinely affected people without corruption.

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said an accurate database of flood-affected people should be prepared to ensure organised and effective relief distribution. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining supply chains and communication networks during the crisis.

The meeting approved several measures for damage assessment and rehabilitation after floodwaters recede.

Under the decisions, disaster management-related departments will implement their respective action plans, while authorities will assess the extent of damage and arrange food assistance based on actual needs.

Field-level officials will work to reduce losses in the agriculture sector, including providing new seeds to affected farmers.

The meeting also decided to ensure safe drinking water supplies in flood-hit areas and strengthen healthcare services to prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

Authorities will take steps to quickly repair damaged roads under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

Necessary measures will also be taken to restore damaged highways and other major roads under the Roads and Highways Department and relevant agencies.

Government sources said ministries and agencies would continue coordinated rescue operations, relief distribution, healthcare support and rehabilitation activities until the flood situation improves across affected areas.