Sylhet
Abdul Monem Ltd to provide support to flood affected people in Sylhet
Coca-Cola Bangladesh, through its franchise bottling partne Abdul Monem Limited, has donated 120,000 bottles of Kinley mineral water to the people in the flood-hit areas of Sylhet.
The company is closely working with the Bangladesh Army and local hospitals to ensure that the right people are receiving the water bottles in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Shunamgonj, said a media release on Thursday.
Read: A week on, flood-hit people of Kurigram cry for relief
Abdul Monem Limited Spokesperson said, “Our heart goes out to the people of Sylhet division who are going through such difficult times. We are working through the Bangladesh Army to ensure that people get the water bottles. We pray and hope that the situation gets better quickly and we can work towards recovery.”
As per experts the flood situation in the Sylhet division is worse than the ones Bangladesh had experienced in 1998 and 2004 and in this dire times, the Company would like to lend its helping hand to the people living there.
Bangladesh Red Crescent adopts Tk54 crore plan to support relief efforts in Sylhet
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.
UK allocates over Tk 5 crore to support Bangladesh’s flood victims
The UK has released additional emergency funding of £442,548 (over Tk 5 crore) to support communities affected by the ongoing floods in Sylhet division.
This brings the UK’s contribution to the flood relief effort in recent weeks to £636,548 (over 7 crore).
Also read:US to provide emergency flood relief for people in northern Bangladesh:Envoy
Acting British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Javed Patel on Wednesday said the devastation they have seen from flooding this year in Bangladesh has been heartbreaking.
"The new emergency funding we have released today will be used to support the most vulnerable through cash assistance, shelter management, water and sanitation, and educational materials," he said.
Also read: Govt took immediate steps to tackle flood, PM tells EU ambassador
The UK’s funding has been allocated through Start Fund Bangladesh and will be administered through Caritas Bangladesh, Christian Aid, Voluntary Association for Rural Development, and World Vision Bangladesh.
Flood claims 22 lives in Sylhet division in 7 days, says divisional health director
Twenty-two people have died in recent floods in Sylhet division since June 15, said Divisional Health Director Himangshu Lal Roy on Tuesday.
“We have received information that 22 people have died in Sylhet division. Of them, 14 died in Sylhet district, three in Moulvibazar district and five in Sunamganj district,” he told UNB.
Also read: Woman dies as boat sinks in Netrokona floodwater
Among them, bodies of two people-a woman and her son- were recovered three days after they drowned in floodwater in Jointapur upazila of the district on Tuesday, he said.
The fatalities occurred due to lightning strikes, snakebite, electrocution, landslides and drowning during the period, said Himangshu.
According to Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) a total of 36 people have died in the recent flood across the country from May 17 to June 21.
Of the deceased, five people died in Mymensingh district, four in Netrokona, three each in Jamalpur and Sherpur districts under Mymensingh division, one in Lalmonirhat, two in Kurigram under Rangpur division, 10 in Sylhet, five in Sunamganj and three in Moulvibazar district under Sylhet division, it said.
PM performs ziarat at Shahjalal, Shahparan shrines in Sylhet
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday performed ziarat at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Hazrat Shah Paran (RA) during a brief visit to Sylhet.
PM Hasina, who arrived here this morning to inspect the flood situation in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrakuna and adjacent areas, first went to the mazar of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in the divisional city in the afternoon.
Also read: PM in Sylhet: Flood victims will be rehabilitated, nothing to worry about
She spent there for some time recited from the holy Quran and offered fateha and munajat.
Later, she visited the mazars of Hazrat Shah Paran (RA) where she performed the same rituals.
Grameenphone customers in flood-hit Sylhet get 10-minute free talk-time
With the devastating flood in the country's northern and north-east still threatening millions of lives and livelihoods, Grameenphone customers, stuck in the affected areas of Sylhet can now avail of 10 minutes of free talk-time.
The telecom operator already disbursed 10-minute free talk-time with three days validity to all its customers in the flood-affected areas in Sylhet.
During these challenging times, the need for immediate connectivity is paramount but customers face difficulty recharging due to the flood and incessant downpour.
Read Hans Martin new Grameenphone chief corporate affairs officer
"It is our moral responsibility to assist those who are stranded and stand by the nation during these times of dire need. We understand our customers' urgent connectivity needs to reach out for any assistance. We are closely monitoring the situation on the field and will remain vigilant going forward to provide connectivity support," said Mohammad Sajjad Hasib, chief marketing officer of Grameenphone.
The flood condition has now been persisting for the past four to five days, with at least 40 lakh people stranded and stuck helpless.
Mobile network and internet connectivity services also had to be compromised in the region due to water logging and electricity failure.
Also read: Grameenphone observes Green Week 2022
However, in collaboration with the Posts and Telecommunications Division, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Bangladesh Army and other stakeholders, Grameenphone is working continuously to overcome the crisis and restore mobile services in the flood-affected region in the earliest alongside exploring alternative feasible solutions to enable the nation to fight the calamity.
Nagad employees to donate one day's salary to relief efforts in Sylhet, Sunamganj
Mobile financial services (MFS) Nagad has announced that it will donate its employees' one day's salary to relief efforts in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
Tanvir A Mishuk, managing director of the MFS, made the announcement at the virtual event "Manush Bachle Desh Bachbe" arranged by Nagad.
Also Read: Nagad to partner LankaBangla in furthering financial inclusion
Ahmed Imtiaz Jami, president of Obhijatrik Foundation, and Mohammad Saifullah Mithu, president and co-founder of Give Bangladesh Foundation, also joined the session.
All regional employees of Nagad in Sylhet and Sunamganj, including the Nagad entrepreneurs, are helping the flood-hit people by providing rapid transactional support and other services.
Read Technical, madrasa students to get stipends through Nagad
To assist flood victims in the Sylhet, more than 50 partner donation organisations are now accepting donations through Nagad.
South Asia floods hampering access to food, clean water
Days of flooding are challenging authorities Monday in South Asia as they try to deliver food and drinking water to shelters across submerged swaths of India and Bangladesh.
The high water brought on by seasonal monsoon downpours has already claimed more than a dozen lives, displaced hundreds of thousands and flooded millions of homes.
Bangladesh called in soldiers Friday to help evacuate people, and Ekattor TV station said millions remained without electricity.
Enamur Rahman, junior minister for disaster and relief, said that up to 100,000 people have been evacuated in the worst-hit Sunamganj and Sylhet districts, and about 4 million people have been marooned in the area, the United News of Bangladesh agency said.
Flooding also continued to ravage India’s northeastern Assam where two policemen engaged in rescue operations were washed away by floodwaters Sunday, an official in the state capital Gauhati said.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Monday his administration was in the process of airlifting food and fuel by military helicopters to some parts of the state that were badly affected.
Officials said nearly 200,000 people were taking shelter in 700 relief camps. Water levels in all major rivers across the state were flowing above danger levels.
Assam has been reeling from massive floods after heavy torrential rains over the past few weeks made the Brahmaputra River break its banks, leaving millions of homes underwater and severing transport links.
Read: Sylhet: A city tries to cope with its worst flood in living memory
The Brahmaputra flows from China’s Tibet through India and into Bangladesh on a nearly 800-kilometer (500-mile) journey through Assam.
Major roads in Bangladesh have been submerged, leaving people stranded. In the country that has a history of climate change-induced disasters, many expressed their frustration that authorities haven’t done more locally.
“There isn’t much to say about the situation. You can see the water with your own eyes. Water level inside the room has dropped a bit. It used to be up to my waist,” said Muhit Ahmed, owner of a grocery shop in Sylhet.
“All in all, we are in a great disaster. Neither the Sylhet City Corporation nor anyone else came here to inquire about us,” he said. “I am trying to save my belongings as much as I can. We don’t have the ability to do any more now.”
In the latest statement Sunday from the country’s Flood Forecasting and Warning Center in the nation’s capital, Dhaka, said that flooding in the northeastern districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet could worsen further in next 24 hours. It said the Teesta, a major river in the northern Bangladesh, may flow above danger. The situation could also deteriorate in the country’s northern districts of Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Bogra, Jamalpur and Sirajganj, it said.
Officials said water has started receding already from the northeastern region but is posing a threat to the country’s central region, the pathway for flood waters to reach the Bay of Bengal in the south.
Read: Sylhet: A city tries to cope with its worst flood in living memory
Media reports said those affected by flooding in remote areas are struggling to access drinking water and food.
Arinjoy Dhar, a senior director of the nonprofit developmental organization BRAC, asked for help ensuring food for the flood-affected in a video posted online.
Dhar said they opened a center Monday to prepare food items as part of a plan to feed 5,000 families in Sunamganj district, but the arrangement was not enough.
BRAC said they alone were trying to reach out to about 52,000 families with emergency supplies.
Last month, a pre-monsoon flash flood triggered by a rush of water from upstream in India’s northeastern states hit Bangladesh’s northern and northeastern regions, destroying crops and damaging homes and roads.
Bangladesh, a nation of 160 million people, is low-lying and faces threats from natural disasters such as floods and cyclones, made worse by climate change. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, about 17% of people in Bangladesh would need to be relocated over the next decade or so if global warming persists at the present rate.
Sylhet flood: Food, pure drinking water crisis hit vicitms hard
Flood vicitms in the district have been going through immese sufferings due to crisis of food and pure drinking water.
“We have neihter any food nor have received any relief at the shelter,”said Terab Bibi, a resident of Chararpar of Sylhet city who has taken shelter at Ramkrishna Primary School in Chalibandar area amid the worsening flood situation.
“I failed to provide any food to my children as no relief materials have reached the shelter yet. I gave some puffed rice to my children. How can I stay here?” said the 35-year old woman.
Floods are ravaging the country and vast areas starting from Sylhet-Sunamganj to northern Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram have been submerged by floodwaters.
As rains ceased, floodwater started to recede in some flood-hit areas on Sunday. However, many rivers are still flowing above the danger level.
Cut up roads if needed for floodwater to recede: LGRD Minister
Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Md Tajul Islam has directed the local authorities in Sylhet for cutting up roads if necessary to make way for floodwater to subside.
He has also directed the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) to supply electricity to MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital through generators as floodwater has snapped electricity supply to the hospital.
Tajul provided these directives during a press briefing on the flood situation in Sylhet at his Minto Road residence in Dhaka today afternoon.
According to the Minister, the Local Government Engineering Division (LGED) and the Sylhet City Corporation have been directed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cut up any roads immediately due to which floodwater can’t retreat at this moment.
“Officials of LGED and SCC are monitoring the flood situation in Sylhet closely. Separate control rooms have been opened at the Local Government Division and the Public Health Engineering Directorate under this Division in this regard,” said Tajul.
Admitting that the flood situation in Sylhet-Sunamganj region has reached dangerous levels, Tajul also said that his ministry’s primary concern at this moment is to bring the flood-affected people from their homes to safe shelters and provide dried food, safe drinking water and water-purifying tablets to these people.
Read: Sylhet: A city tries to cope with its worst flood in living memory
“Public representatives, government officials, Army and Navy officials and volunteers are trying their best to help the flood-affected people. The government is also working to lessen the plight of these people through coordinating the works of the LGED Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry and the Shipping Ministry,” added Tajul.
Replying to a question, the Minister said that the government has been able to take prompt steps due to its advance preparedness.
“The government will allocate necessary resources for any damages of the communication systems in Sylhet region due to the flood,” Tajul mentioned.
The Minister also praised the journalists, saying that it is due to the media personnel that the government gets to know about any emergency situations in due time.