United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) on Monday deployed over 5,300 sanitation workers and 10 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to clear the waterlogging caused by Cyclone Remal. Each QRT consists of 10 members, bringing the total number of personnel involved in the operation to 100, according to a press release. Coastal Satkhira still experiencing impact of Cyclone Remal Additionally, 94 locations were identified through DNCC's hotline number 16106 where water had accumulated. These spots were promptly addressed and cleared of water. In the 10 DNCC zones, a total of 108 large and medium trees that had fallen on roads were removed to ensure smooth traffic flow Heavy to very heavy rainfall likely in 8 divs The entire waterlogging clearance operation was monitored around the clock from the central monitoring centre at Nagar Bhaban. DNCC Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam visited the central monitoring centre in the afternoon to inspect the progress of the activities. He reported that approximately 125 millimetres of rain had fallen from morning to 5 pm on Monday. Remal weakens into depression, lies over Manikganj Despite the heavy rainfall, he stated that there was no prolonged waterlogging on the main roads in the DNCC area. He commended the tireless efforts of over 5,000 sanitation workers and 10 QRTs of Dhaka North City Corporation in addressing the waterlogging. He also mentioned that necessary actions were being taken based on information received through the hotline number.

The cyclonic storm Remal continues to wreak havoc in the country’s southern district of Satkhira with its effects far from over. Since Monday morning, under the influence of the storm the entire district has been experiencing heavy rainfall accompanied by powerful gusts of wind, causing disruption of daily life. Local authorities estimated that over 800 houses in the coastal areas of the district have been damaged by the cyclone. The cyclone's impact has been particularly severe in the coastal regions of Assasuni and Shyamnagar, where river embankments have been breached, allowing tidal waters to flood several areas. The areas Gabura, Padmapukur, Burigoalini, Dandinakhali, Munshiganj, Pratappur, and Durbarbati under Shyamnagar upazila have reported significant flooding, with many shrimp closures submerged. Tidal waters have risen 3 to 4 feet above normal levels. Remal weakens into depression, lies over Manikganj The most significant damage in the district has been to the mango crops during its peak season, with varieties such as Himsagar, Langra, and Amrapali still on the trees. The cyclone has caused these fruits to fall, resulting in losses worth several crores of Tk. Masudul Alam, Chairman of Gabura Union Parishad, informed that cyclone Remal crossed the district coast around midnight on Sunday. However, the Sundarbans coastal rivers continue to experience massive waves.  

Dnet-Development Research Network on Monday organised a roundtable discussion on E-Governance in Bangladesh highlighting significant gaps in accessibility to digital services among low-income women. In facilitating this event, the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh provided crucial technical support. This enabled the convening of prominent experts and specialists from the public and private sectors, academia, and international development partners. Co-Founder & Executive Director of Dnet M. Shahadat Hossain said that they had recently conducted a study to understand the digital divide amongst low income women both in the formal and informal sectors. He said the findings revealed stark disparities in digital access, literacy, and usage in both sectors. “Despite the proliferation of government service apps aimed at enhancing citizen engagement and service delivery, the study revealed significant gaps in their accessibility among low-income women. While this study is limited in scope it does give a glimpse into the gaps that exist in the domain," he said. The roundtable discussion aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of e-governance in Bangladesh, focusing on service delivery, transparency, and accountability. It will address challenges like the digital divide and organizational issues, propose solutions for equitable access, and develop strategies to raise awareness among all citizens, particularly young, female, vulnerable, rural, and hard-to-reach populations. This roundtable discussion also highlighted the need so that digital services are simultaneously efficient and inclusive, to avoid increasing current inequality. According to a UN report, Bangladesh achieved the highest E-Government Development Index (EGDI) score among the top Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and has continued to rank highly in two surveys. Bangladesh has moved up 37 spots in 8 years from 2014-2022) on the index. This achievement can be attributed to the government’s efforts to streamline and improve the provision of public services. However, with vision 2041 and smart Bangladesh there’s still a long way to go to reach the desired level. Deputy Secretary of Development, Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Branch of ICT Division Mohammad Manir Hossain, representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kurokami Minami, Norwegian Embassy Trade Adviser Bayzid Sayeed, Programme Manager of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Fani Farmaki and Head of Sector (Governance) Enrico Lorenzon spoke in the programme. Professor of Public administration DU Dr. Sadik Hasan moderated the session.

Heave to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in eight divisions of the country. “Under the influence of deep depression heavy (44-88mm/24 hrs) to very heavy rainfall (89mm/24 hrs) is likely to be experienced over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions during next 24 hours commencing at 6 pm Monday,” said the special bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). Intense heat wave, rains forecast in parts of India Due to heavy rainfall, landslides may occur at places over the hilly region of Chattogram division.  

The deep depression over Jashore and adjoining area moved Northeastwards and weakened into a depression, now lying over Manikganj and adjoining area. It is likely to move northeastwards further and weaken gradually by giving precipitation, said a special bulletin of Met office.. Maritime ports of Payra and Mongla have been advised to lower danger signal number ten but instead hoist local cautionary signal number three. Cyclone Remal: Another man dies on the way to shelter Maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal number three. All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till tomorrow morning and then proceed with caution. Cyclone Remal: WFP dispatches cash assistance to families most at risk across Khulna, Barishal

Power supply was disrupted by Remel not only in coastal areas of the country, but also severely disrupted in Dhaka city and adjoining areas. According to power utility officials, electricity supply at a vast area under Dhaka Electric Supply Company (Desco) was heavily disrupted by falling trees on the power distribution areas. A good number of areas in Mirpur, Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Rampura plunged into darkness after the fall of the trees on the line following the cyclone Remal hit the area. Cyclone Remal causes Tk 96 crore in damages to power supply infrastructure, as per initial estimates  “At least 25 feeders were shutdown. But later our teams cleared the falling trees and restored power supply,” said Executive Director of Desco Zakir Hossain. Still the Desco teams are working in some areas,” he said adding, the power demand came down to 800 MW from the normal demand of 1200 MW. Power supply in many areas in Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) also were affected by the Remal. Some 2-3 feeders in each of the 36 power supply division were affected by the storm and power supply came to halt in the areas under those feeders, said Shafiqul Alam, executive director of DPDC told UNB. Cyclone Remal leaves 2.22 crore people without power He said the DPDC teams are trying to restore power supply in the affected areas. He said the power demand fell to 814 MW from the normal demand of 1800 MW in DPDC areas.    

The Election Commission (EC) ordered Inspector General of Police (IGP) to withdraw four Officers-in-Charge (OCs) from Chattogram division due to their controversial records to ensure a free, fair and neutral election of the sixth upazila parishad polls. A media release signed by Md Mizanur Rahman, deputy secretary (current charge) of the EC said this on Monday. In the release, the IGP was ordered to withdraw OCs of Chattogram’s Anowara and Chandanaish police stations Mohammad Sohel and Obaiduil Islam resepcetively. Moreover, OCs of Cumilla’s Debidwar and Chandpur’s Fardiganj police stations were included in the list of withdrawal, it reads. The IGP was ordered to attach the four OCs with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) office and inspectors (investigation) of the police stations were also ordered to perform duty till May 31, according to the release. Additionally, the EC decided that the OC of Dumki police station in Patuakhali will be attached to the office of the DIG office until the election is completed. The inspector (investigation) of that station will assume the responsibilities in the interim.

One more death was reported from dengue in 24 hours till Monday morning, raising the number of fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 34 this year. During the period, 16 more patients were hospitalised with viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of them, 10 patients were hospitalised in Dhaka city, while the rest were outside the capital. The person, who died in the last 24 hours, is from an area under the Dhaka South City Corporation. Currently, 132 patients are receiving treatment at several hospitals across the country. A total of 2,789 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024. Last year, a total of 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record. The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries last year. Last year’s September was the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak, with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.

Bangladesh reported 13 more COVID-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total COVID-19 caseload rose to 2,050,380, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,495 as no new fatalities were reported during this period. The daily case test positivity rate was 5.04 percent as 258 samples were tested, said the DGHS. The recovery and death rates stood at 98.41 percent and 1.44 per cent, respectively.

Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid on Monday said the price of essentials is at tolerable level so there is no reason to be unhappy. "We have seen the comparative picture of the price of rice, sugar, ginger, garlic in our neighbouring countries. We are in a premium position everywhere. So I would say that there is no reason to be unhappy. We are trying our level best to keep the people satisfied and will continue in future,” he said. The Agriculture Minister came up with the information while talking to reporters after the inter-ministerial meeting on prevention of price hike of essential commodities, held at the Secretariat. Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder and State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu were present there. Rice production rises over four times in 50 years: Agriculture Minister at World Water Forum The meeting also informed about the bumper production of Boro paddy. “There is no shortage of rice and the price of rice is stable. The production of potato is lower than the previous years and the government opened imports of potatoes and onions. There will be no problem,” said the minister. Mentioning about the rise in egg price, Shahid said the secretaries are talking to the deputy commissioners every day over mobile phones. “Even today, we agreed on what the current situation is and what measures we can take in the future. Our budget is coming up. There may be an interaction after the budget comes,” he said. Workshop: Importance of integrating nutrition into agriculture value chain highlighted