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Flood — a natural phenomenon

But have we learnt our lesson?

Md. Firoj Alam
Flood is not a new phenomenon for Bangladesh. During the monsoon a big part of this country each year goes under water, and very often it takes the shape of flood Different documents say that over the last 50 years [1954-2004], this part of the world has experienced at least 41 floods of different magnitude due to the monsoon rain, sea upsurge and flushing of the hills. Some of the floods have occupied the history of the natural disaster permanently for the massive damageoflivesandpropertytheywrought.
Currently this country is passing through another nightmare of a devastating flood that has engulfed major part of this country and meanwhile caused tremendous suffering for at least 4 million people. The death toll has risen to 500 and several thousands more have been stmck by different diseases. It has been assumed that the economic losses due to this flood will be as much as taka 300 billion. Therefore, people of this country will have to bear the brunt of this flood for few more years. May be another one will hit this country before it has recovered completely. Yes, history is telling so. If we go back a few years, we will find that in the year of2000the entire southwestern part of the country was ravaged by a devastating flood; the flood of 1998 is still exiting in our
mind as yesterday's memory, in 1993 and 1989 the country faced two medium ranged floods, the flood of 1988 is still a record and the flood of 1987 is unforgettable too as it swamped 40 per cent of this country. I do not want to go back further. I think this chronology is enough to prove that flood is a curse for us and it is coming again and again to increase our poverty, hunger, sufferings, death and drudgery. But can't we get rid of it? Or, have we accepted it as the infallible writings of providence? If not, why do we not take the learning from these floods and try to mitigate it or cope with it? Why do we try to be active only during the flood and forget everythingjustafterrecessionofthewater?
It is quite known to the policymakers that along with the natural causes, many man made interventions such as construction of road, culvert, bridge, embankment, dam, sluice gate, encroachment or filling up of canal, river bed and other water bodies create flood. But have these been stopped? No. Rather, these activities are increasing at progressive rate. Over the last two decades, scores of big bridges have been constructed over the important rivers including Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Buriginaga, Gomoti, Rupsaha, Tista, Dhorlaetc. These bridges have accelerated our speed, but expedited the process of
sedimentation on the river bed. After the flood of 1988, thousands of kilometers of embankment have been constructed. Alone in the coastal belts there are more than three thousand kms of embankment. The constmcted culverts and small bridges
all over the country are simply innumerable. These infrastructures are preventing the water from receding, rather than protectingflood.
Again, the water bodies are not being taken care of. Due to the lack of proper dredgingthesehavelosttheir depthonone hand, while on the other, the private companies have targeted these to develop as commercial and residential housing plots. The marshes inside and outside Dhaka city area are now in the hands of land developers.
Out of the 1500 rivers, more than 1250 have lost their existence. The rest 250 rivers are simply struggling for survival. Recently the Ittefaq [July, 3] reported that all 411 haors, 11 boors, and 29 bills located in the north eastern part of this country are at stake. These need dredging. It has been proved that deep water bodies produce fish, control floods and work as the cheap way for transporting passengers and goods. Governments often show the excuse of fund shortage for dredging. But governments have never faced any fund crisis for non productive and political projects.
We the people ourselves even do not take any lesson though we experience the floods frequently. As anNGO worker, I visit almost everywhere of this country. And as we work only on water and sanitation, we critically look into these two issues. We have observed that thepeopleoftheflood prone areas are painfully indifferent to the flood survival strategies. In spite of being repeatedly victim of flood people have gained very less skill to cope with these disasters. Rather, the indigenous people of the hill areas have learnt better how to survive with the natural disasters. I have observed that the indigenous people of the CHT build their houses onraised platforms to protect themselves from flash flood, landslide, rain-wash and wild animals. While the people of the plain do not think about flood when they install a hand tubewell or a latrine, construct houses or build embankment surrounding their ponds. Consequently, a normal flood inundates the tube-well, washes away the pond and swamps the dwelling house that maximises their loss andsufferings.
Worst thing is that there are no functional, systematic and constant
arrangements ofthe governmentto impart this knowledge to the people who are living in the flood prone areas. However, the radio and television repeatedly broadcast these essential messages only when the people are already flood affected. Visiting the flood affected areas, we have seen that the severely affected people do not listen to these messages.
Prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia visitedSunamgonj on27 July as apart ofher relief work. With a melancholy tone the BTV reportertoldthatshehadto takearisk to land her copter as there was no suitable dry land in that area for safe landing. I have both sympathy and pity for her, because she and her partyis in power ofthis country for many years which is located on the danger zone of the disaster map but she have not thought about the necessity of helipad in each districtthatwill remainsafe for emergency landing. Reflection of such mismanagement and lack of long term plans are visible everywhere. I have seen flood water on many bridges, let alone roads! Had the flood issue ever come in mindoftheplanner?
Thousands of people are not getting shelter. The education institutions which generally people use as flood shelters have also gone under water. We have seen that all the schools ofthe coastal belt are used as cyclone shelters. These have been constructed on the high-raised pillars so that people of the costal area can protect themselves from cyclone and sea upsurge by taking shelter there. Could have not this strategy also been applied in the flood prone areas?
Thanks to Ershad that with lesson from the flood of 1988 he took an initiative to protect Dhaka by building a dam alongside the Buriganga. As a result, considerable part of Dhaka city including the low laying areas of the south, west and northern parts ofthis city are out of affliction. People ofthe affected areas are getting support from the safer part of the city. Coordination, fund collection, relief management are being conducted from there. If the entire city would go under water, government and donorswouldremainbusywith this capital city, and the affected people in the remotely villages would remain unattended. The successor governments have not thought of such protection on the
eastern part of the city. And, the result we see the boundless suffering of the people livingin that partofDhakacity.
Flood water has started to recede down. A new layer of sediment will be deposited on the river beds. The developers will resume filling water bodies as soon as possible. Another wave of fund will be coming from the donors to implement another inappropriate plan like FAP or some relief and rehabilitation work will be carried out as it happens each year. The flood affected people will go back home and will invest the last drop of their energy to repair the broken house and recover damaged crop land. They will keep the wheel of life running until another disaster comes to stop it. As if it isour destiny thatwe cannot change. But can we really avoid our responsibility?
Md. Firoj Alam is a programme officer of WaterAid Bangladesh.