Over 600,000 people displaced and around 20,000 houses destroyed so far.
Oxfam has worked over the last 72 hours with the Government of Bangladesh and other agencies to assess the impact of the ongoing floods across the country. The resulting Joint Rapid Emergency Assessment reports released yesterday indicate widespread impacts across the North East and South East of the country. Heavy rainfall for five consecutive days coupled with existing high river levels has caused floods and landslides. At least 132 have died and five million are affected. Over 600,000 people have been displaced from their homes, around 20,000 houses have been destroyed completely and around 200,000 homes are badly damaged. Millions of people have lost access to safe water and sanitation, though it is too early to say whether this will be for the short or long term. Priority needs include Water, Sanitation and Hygiene support, Emergency food security and livelihoods, and emergency shelter. In some parts of the country, notably Sylhet, the situation is beginning to improve, but there are significant fears for those in the North-West who are downriver from the major flooding in Assam, India. Oxfam expects the situation to worsen within the next 48 hours, and is working with our resilience program partners to prepare communities. Oxfam is also currently engaged in coordination and assessment efforts across the country, and supporting the Government of Bangladesh and colleagues in the NARRI Consortium to respond in the South-East, where current needs are exceeding local capacity to support affected people. Oxfam has also deployed staff to support the joint assessment team in the North West, working with closely with other NGOs and UN agencies. ‘It’s a complex and rapidly changing situation. We’re working to ensure we provide help where it’s needed, without undermining the remarkable ability of Bangladeshi communities to cope with this kind of disaster. It’s important to note that it’s still early in the monsoon, and we expect the situation to worsen, so we are ensuring we have the information and coordination mechanisms in place to provide targeted, effective aid.” says Gareth Price-Jones, Country Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh.
