প্রকাশ: 21/06/2022
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said her government
will provide all necessary assistance, including food medicines and seeds, to
the flood-affected people in the north, urging them not to worry.
At the same time, she urged the authorities concerned to
take necessary preparations to face any possible crisis as flood waters rolling
from the north are now likely to hit the middle and southern parts of the
country.
The premier was addressing a view exchange meeting with
public representatives, high officials of the government, political leaders and
officials of the local administration at Sylhet Circuit House.
She held the meeting after inspecting from a helicopter the
ravages wreaked by the early monsoon deluge in the districts of Sylhet,
Sunamganj and Netrokona. She flew low to get a better view of the condition of
the marooned people and the damages caused by the floods.
PM Hasina firmly said that her government has taken all
necessary steps to face the current flood situation in the entire Sylhet region
as well as other parts of the country.
This is the third consecutive time that Sylhet region is
experiencing floods, she said adding that the government is doing its part
accordingly to face the situation.
Describing the current flood as nothing new, she said, the
people of Bangladesh have to live with such natural calamities.
She reminded the audience that while such severe floods
cause damages, it also has some positive aspects.
Flood waters, she said, bring in silt that makes land more
fertile and monsoon rains help recharge the underground water that is good in
the earthquake-prone country.
The PM thanks the officials of the administration, members
of the armed forces and coast guards as well as leaders and workers of her
party Awami League for standing beside the people risking their lives.
She particularly mentioned the leaders and activists of her
party who always remain beside the affected people in all kinds of disasters.
She also advised the rescue and relief workers to ensure
their own safety too.
Referring to the big floods of 1998 and 1988, Hasina said
it’s a natural pattern that massive floods happen in every ten or twelve years
in Bangladesh.
She put emphasis on regular dredging of the rivers and the
use of the silt for other purpose like making block bricks.
Talking about construction of roads in the haor areas, she
mentioned that she has already given instructions that there will be no more
normal roads in Haor areas like Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kishoreganj
with traditional land fill and pile up roads.
"It will be elevated roads from now. These types of roads do not get
damaged quickly and even in calamities like floods the communication remains
smooth."
She said that elevated roads would help protect the region
from water logging that leads to huge seasonal floods.
Hasina warned that floods now may happen in the middle parts
of the country next and later on in the southern part and all concerned will
have to remain ready to face the situation.
Talking about the situation during and after floods, the PM
said, the government will provide the affected people food, water purifying
tablets, oral saline and bleaching powder.
She said during the post-flood period necessary assistance
such as seeds and other inputs will also be given to farmers to help cultivate
their lands and grow crops like paddies.
She asked the officials to spread bleaching power in the affected
areas after the flood water recedes to prevent any outbreak of diseases.
She also put emphasis on removing all wastes and garbage after
the recession of floods.
Later the PM heard some local leaders who highlighted problems of the area and put several demands for development of the Sylhet region.
- UNB
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