A significant number of people who sought refuge in shelters due to the devastating floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in Bandarban have now returned to their homes, District Commissioner Shah Mujahid Uddin has said. During a press briefing held on Friday (August 11, 2023) afternoon, he outlined the overall situation in the district, elaborating on the extent of the destruction caused by the recent torrential rains and floods. The calamity has left a trail of destruction, displacing families and causing substantial damage to infrastructure. Read more Flood situation improves in Bandarban Currently, around 340 individuals remain in various shelters across the district as they grapple with the aftermath of the disaster. The impact has been dire, with 15,800 families stranded by flooding, and a staggering 15,600 houses being severely damaged, he said.  Quoting the Agriculture Department, the District Commissioner said that the agricultural sector has been hit hard, with 8,253 hectares of cropland succumbing to the deluge.  He also reported 10 deaths resulting from the flood and landslides.  Read more Woman, daughter among 3 killed in Bandarban landslides Furthermore, road connections to Thanchi and Ruma upazilas remain severed due to the relentless downpour. The Department of Public Health Engineering has taken steps for rehabilitation by setting up two mobile water purification units, he said. Already, 2 lakh litres of water have been distributed through this initiative. The Bangladesh Army has also joined the relief efforts, distributing an additional 53,800 litres of drinking water,  he said.  Additionally, 850 families have received essential dry food provisions, while 962 individuals have been given vital medical care and medications.  Read more Army deployed to tackle flood, landslides in Ctg, Bandarban

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has adopted a plan of Tk54 crore to carry out relief operations in the flood-hit Sylhet region. It requested the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and all Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners for that support. Among the relief activities, food and livelihood support, water and sanitation and shelter repair assistance are some key areas. Md Nur-Ur-Rahman, acting chairman of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, said: "At the moment, relief items are being provided in the flood shelters. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society is also working to provide cash assistance to the families most affected by the floods." Also read:UK allocates over Tk 5 crore to support Bangladesh’s flood victims More than 500 volunteers of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society are working to help the flood-hit people in the Sylhet region. Teams of the Bangladesh Red Crescent are helping to evacuate flood-hit people to safe shelters and distribute dry and cooked food and clean drinking water in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and other affected districts. The Society, with the support of the IFRC, already distributed 75,000 litres of safe drinking water. In addition, dry food to more than 6,000 people, 1,665 jerrycans and 1,000 hygiene parcels were distributed. Free primary medical care services were provided to flood victims through four medical camps. To help the flood victims, 15,000 water purification tablets, 7,200 packets of dry food, 1,200 jerrycans, 1,000 dignity kits, 500 hygiene parcels and 50 life jackets were sent. A safe drinking water supply was started in Sylhet and Sunamganj through three mobile water purification units, allowing the Red Crescent to distribute 20,000 litres of drinking water each day.

International Organization for Migration (IOM) has pledged US$ 1 million from its emergency fund to the relief efforts after the Rohingya camps fire and it said further US$ 20 million is required to respond to the most urgent needs.   The massive fire swept through three IOM-managed sites Monday displacing roughly 45,000 Rohingya refugees and causing catastrophic damage in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the world’s largest refugee camp.  Also read:Dhaka seeks proactive global support to end Rohingya crisis More than 10,000 shelters were damaged in the fire and the largest health centre in the camp was destroyed.   The loss of the 24/7 health centre, which served more than 55,000 people in the last year, now further complicates the challenge of responding to COVID-19, IOM said.  The fire that raged through the camps only slowed once it reached the main roads, slopes, canals and rice fields.  It has since subsided, but not before consuming essential facilities, shelters and the personal belongings of tens of thousands of people.   Also read:IOM, UK EMT continue Covid health support for Rohingyas The cause of the fire is still unknown. According to humanitarian agencies and local authorities, 11 people have lost their lives, more than 500 people have been injured and roughly 400 are still missing.  “This disaster is a terrible setback that exacerbates the humanitarian needs of refugees in Cox’s Bazar,” said IOM’s Director General António Vitorino.  "We will need to start from zero to rebuild. Our hearts are with all those affected.  We are committed to helping them build back safer with the support of the government of Bangladesh, our donors, partners and humanitarian actors.”  In the immediate aftermath, government response services, including the fire brigade, the army and humanitarian agencies rushed to the area to put out the fire. 

In response to the devastation caused by torrential rain and monsoon floods in Bangladesh, Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Ltd has come forward to a public assistance appeal and aided relief supplies in flood-ravaged areas of Natore’s Singra upazila.