Bangladesh flood affects 7.2 million people: UN

GBNews24 Desk//

About 7.2 million people have been severely affected following devastating flash floods which began in May with a second wave starting on June 15 in nine northeastern districts of Bangladesh, said a statement from the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, reports UNB.

The affected districts are Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Brahmanbaria, Mymensingh and Sherpur.

Of them, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulivazar, Habiganj and Netrakona are the most affected.

According to the statement, on July 2-3 July, a joint mission of the United Nations, humanitarian donors (European Union, the United Kingdom) and NGO partners visited the flood-affected districts of Sylhet and Sunamganj.

The mission aimed to see the impact of and response to the floods express its solidarity with those affected and offer condolences.

The mission was able to see the extent of the flooding, hear from some of the people affected, speak with key local authorities delivering the government’s response, and get a glimpse into the scale and scope of the response provided by the government complemented by UN agencies and NGOs. There is a large-scale coordinated response operation ongoing under the government’s strong leadership.

The government has moved over 472,000 people to some 1,605 shelters. Many of the most vulnerable people within the communities that we spoke to have received vital food assistance.

The UN and NGO partners are supporting these efforts by delivering food assistance, drinking water, cash, emergency drugs, water purification tablets, dignity and hygiene kits and education support to the affected families.

UNICEF re-allocated $2.8 million of internal resources to meet the emergency needs and has provided life-saving support to nearly one million people.

WFP distributed 85 tons of fortified biscuits to 34,000 households in three districts.