“Please send us a boat. Please save us.”
“Please send us a boat. Please save us.”
“Please send us a boat. Please save us.”
This is how a mother of two year old baby girl screams as the country’s worst flood hard hit Bangladesh. More than 59 killed and millions stranded (as of September 2nd). Safe shelters are full. Rooftops are packed. Cattle, cats, and dogs are washed away. Home and hearths are destroyed. Electric poles fell upside down. Internet services disrupted. Gas and water supplies stopped.
That is how more than 12 districts in the country’s north and northeastern part were under water about a week. The worst hit districts like Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali are completely submerged. Locals wondered at the heavy rainfall and the devastating flood as the death toll and sufferings were still on the rise. Amjad Hossen, a 50 year old resident in Feni said, “I’ve never seen such a rainfall ever in my life.”
Just weeks ago, Bangladesh ousted the longest serving authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina who fled to India earlier this month. The country has formed a new interim government that has already faced challenges dealing with the collapsed economy and restoring order.
As India favored Hasina’s Awami League Government and with her now in India, some members in the new interim government lead by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus accused India of opening the dam gates without giving any warning to Bangladesh as a punishment.
However, the Indian government officials denied the accusation, saying the flood was caused by heavy rainfall and mudslide that escaped spillways of the upstream India to flood the downstream eastern and northeastern part of Bangladesh. The good news is that people from all walks of life have poured in support for the flood victims in Bangladesh.
Outpouring Public Supports for the Victims
While riding a public bus to my home from work, a group of university students asked for donations for the fatal flood victims. Muhammad Arman, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur held up the donation box and said, “We are for the flood victims.”
These were the part of tens of thousands of students who had just ousted an autocratic authoritarian government in Bangladesh weeks ago. And they are now united again to fight the country’s worst flood.
Amidst already existing challenges, the new government has taken quick AID assistance and rescue operations for the flood affected people. The Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, and the Fire Service Civil Defense Unit of the country have already been deployed to strengthen the rescue operation. But, the most assistance for the victims is coming from the students in Bangladesh.
The students of Dhaka University raised more than 10 million BDT in the last 24 hours by Saturday (August 24th). With the initiative of the students, people from all walks of life packed relief funds to the University campus areas. These include both emergency and non essential food items. Food items like biscuits, buns, breads, flatten rice, and molasses are bag packed to reach the victims soon. Non essential items include oral saline, water purification tablets, clothing, and so on. Long lines of vehicles with relief material are spotted on the highways.
Many non government organizations and charities have also gotten involved in helping out the victims. BRAC, the country’s leading NGO, has just announced a 30 million BDT package for the flood affected people in the country. Religious clerks like Ahmadullah and his nonprofit “As- Sunnah Foundation” have already raised lots of cash money, tones of relief goods, and emergency medicines. Other religious minorities, like the Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists have also stood by the flood affected people giving relief goods and cash money.
The spontaneous approach united the nation again as it did in 1971 when the country achieved independence and earlier this month in August when it stepped down the tyranny of the Awami League government. People in Bangladesh always stand strong even in the worst situation of the country.
