Shawdesh Desk:

The flooding in 15 districts has dealt a heavy blow to the poor people when they are struggling against the deadly coronavirus.

Sources said overall flood situation has been aggravated in the districts since the last week of June, leaving thousands of people marooned.

Amid the corona pandemic, many poor people are facing shortages of food, pure drinking water and other essentials and their sufferings have mounted.

More than 1.5 million people in 15 districts have been affected by the devastating flood in the country.

The people living in the area are being jobless and workless earlier by Covid-19.

Many have been homeless as their homes and belongings have been washed away by flooding.

Professor ASM Golam Hafiz, farm economist and head of Agricultural Finance and Banking Department at Bangladesh Agricultural University, told the daily sun that most of the poor people have become unemployed by Covid-19 and floods are taking a toll on them.

“Flood victims, particularly in the northern districts, are in dire need for work, apart from relief materials, but there is no work across the country.”

Many victims of the flood-hit districts are yet to get relief although the district administration already allocated money and rice for them. However, the amount of relief materials being distributed is not sufficient.

The marooned people have taken shelter on embankments, roads, highlands and flood centres with their domestic animals and valuables as their houses have been washed away and crops damaged.

Different waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, fever and cold-related complications, skin diseases have broke out. Aman paddy and other crops in the districts have already been damaged by floodwaters, causing a huge economic loss for farmers.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) on Monday forecasted that overall flood situation may improve in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogura, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Rajbari, Manikganj, Dhaka, Faridpur and Tangail in the next 24 hours while it will remain unchanged in Munshiganj and Shariatpur.

“The flood situation in Natore and Naogaon may deteriorate in the next 24 hours,” said FFWC official Md Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan.

River water was rising at 43 of the 101 points observed by the warning centre on Monday morning.

Eight major rivers were flowing above their danger marks at 15 stations on the day, the FFWC said.