MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT. Flood Daily Situation Report, August 16, 2004

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1 MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT Flood 2004 Daily Situation Report, August 16, 2004 Current flood situation: The flood situation in the country is improving satisfactorily and is likely to improve further. According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre the overall flood situation would improve further because of the recession of water in major rivers. According to the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) 4 points are only flowing above the danger level as of 16th of August 2004 and the rest are flowing below their respective danger levels. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna registered rise & fall while the Ganges-Padma observed further fall at all points except at Goalundo. Most of the rivers in the Meghna and the South Eastern Hill basins receded further. Summary Assessment of damages as of August 16, 2004: Floodwaters are yet to subside and in many places the water is even rising. The Finance minister has confirmed that the government will send its teams to the flood-affected areas alongside the ones of the donors. Government in collaboration UN, World Bank and ADB will assess the damage at the field level, which will be the government's estimate on the flood damage. The exact damage to the rural infrastructure caused by the recent flood is yet to be ascertained. It is anticipated that the damage will be much more than what the preliminary reports suggest. Agriculture, the lifeline of rural as well as national economy, the cottage and small industries, fisheries, livestock and poultry and some other self-employment generating sectors of the rural economy have been very badly damaged. So, rehabilitation of flood-ravaged rural infrastructure and revitalising the self-employment generating sectors there deserve the highest priority. The Economic Relations Division of the finance ministry would ask for donors' support for rehabilitation of infrastructure on the basis of proper assessment. The agriculture ministry has revised up the flood damage estimates in the agriculture sector to Tk 3,184 million, including the flooding in April this year. The revised damage assessment of the current flood now stands at Tk 2,291 million, which earlier was about Tk 1,800 million. The UN, in accordance with the Government estimate of damage of $6.6 billion, thinks that the estimate is reasonable. The following table from a compiled report on the affected areas and damages due to flood as of August 16, 2004: Assessment of damages based on the information received from the district administration Total number of affected districts Total number of the affected sub- districts Total number of area affected (kilometers) Total number of affected unions ,573 2,

2 Total number of affected 7,456,644 families / household Total number of affected 36,329,509 people Damaged crops (in acres) fully 1,728,129 Damaged crops (in acres) 1,038,169 partially Total number of damaged 891,921 houses (fully) Total number of damaged 3,388,882 houses (partially) Human death toll 730 Total number of livestock dead 15,114 Damaged roads (km-fully) 14,221 Damaged roads (km- partially) 45,528 Damaged educational / 1,259 religious institutions (partially) Damaged educational / 24,196 religious institutions (fully) Embankment damage (km) 3,158 Number of bridges/culverts 5,461 damaged Number of flood shelters 4,815 Number of people take refuge 1,405,822 in flood shelters Government flood relief allocation as of August 16, 2004: Finance and Planning Minister M. Saifur Rahman directed the ministries to immediately start rehabilitation of flood-ravaged rural infrastructure with the Tk.1500 million in repair funds provided in the budget. Tk.553 million had already been allocated for repairs and maintenance to the Roads and Highways Department, Tk. 370 million to Local Government and Rural Development Ministry, Tk. 250 million to Public Works Department, Tk.110 million to Disaster Management and Relief Ministry and Tk. 70 million to Education Ministry.The Finance and Planning Minister directed the Finance Division to immediately release repair funds according to the needs highlighted by the ministriesand assured the on-going Annual Development Programme (ADP) projects, financed by the government from its own resources or by the development partners would continue along with the post-flood rehabilitation programme. Immediately after the recession of flood water, selection and appointment of contractors would be done for the repair work of the ravaged rural infrastructure. Similarly, selection and appointment of suppliers will be carried over for the purchase of fertiliser for the agriculture sector. For all these tenders have to be floated giving a reasonable period of time for submission of offers. The agriculture ministry raised the budget from Tk 130 million to Tk 158 million for free of seeds and fertilisers among hundred thousand flood-affected small and marginal farmers to help them cultivate 10 crops. Each listed farmer would get seeds and fertilisers for only one crop against 1 bigha of land. They would 5 kg seeds and 25 kg fertilisers for cultivating planted aman, 5 kg seeds and 30 kg fertilisers for boro aman, 17 kg seeds and 30 kg fertilisers for wheat, 2.5 kg hybrid seeds and 40 kg fertilisers for maze, 1.5 kg seeds and 20 kg fertilisers for mustard, 5 kg seeds and 10 kg fertilisers for mashkolai, 1 kg seeds and 20 kg fertilisers for vegetables, sugarcane seeds weighing 1,000 kg and 20 kg fertilisers, Tk 1,000 in cash and 24 kg fertilisers for betel leaf and 0.5 kg seeds and 20 kg fertilisers for cultivating chilli. The finance ministry laid down fresh guidelines for the Bangladesh Bank, the three nationalised commercial banks (NCBs) and two specialised banks in Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank to disburse new credit and reschedule outstanding loan to farmers for post-flood rehabilitation. Tk 107 million of the revised amounts would be spent on of fertilisers and the rest on seeds

3 The banks aim to lend about Tk 4,700 crore to farmers in the current fiscal year. The finance ministry circular asked the banks to suspend realisation of farm loan in the flood-affected areas for a year. It directed the banks to reschedule all outstanding loans including classified loans for a year and relax rules for down payment by the defaulters. Certificate cases filed against rescheduled loans and those to be filed in the next one year would be put on hold for a year. The banks are also asked to raise the ceiling for individual borrowers based on the reality facing the farmers. The latest moves are part of a comprehensive agriculture rehabilitation programme the government has taken to help the farmers recover from the flood losses and boost the farm sector's contribution to the GDP, according to the officials at both ministries. The Agriculture Minister MK Anwar also decided to bring another 1.65 lakh farmers under the programme, which initially was tailored for 25 hundred thousand flood-affected farmers. The following is a cumulative table of relief allocations by the Government of Bangladesh as of 16 August Relief (Cash / kind) allocated for the flood affected districts by the Government of Bangladesh (source: Flood Control Room, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management) (As of 16 August 2004) - 3 -

4 Sl no Name of the districts Amount of rice for (m. ton) reestablishment / construction of houses purchase of sarees Saree Lungi Biscuits (Tin) CI sheet (Bundle) 1 Dhaka Narayanganj Munshigong Norsingdi Gazipur Manikganj Mymensingh Tangail Jamalpur Sherpur Netrokona Kishoreganj Faridpur Rajbari Madaripur Shariatpur Gopalganj Sylhet Habiganj Moulovibazar Sunamgonj Rajshahi Chapainobabgonj Rangpur Pabna Serajganj VGF (Rice) m.ton Tent (No) Utensils Comments Sl no Name of the districts Amount of rice for (m. ton) reestablishment / construction of houses purchase of sarees Saree Lungi Biscuits (Tin) CI sheet (Bundle) 27 Lalmonirhat Nilphamari Joypurhat Bogra Nogaon Gaibandha Natore Kurigram Panchagarh Chittagong Cox Bazar Noakhali Laxmipur Rangamati Bandarban Khagrachhari Comilla B.Baria Chandpur Barisal Norail Jhalokhati Pirojpur Bhola Borgona Patuakhali Kushtia TOTAL VGF (Rice) m.ton Tent (No) Utensils Comments - 4 -

5 Flood relief allocation and activity measures taken by the NGOs and donor agencies as of August 16, 2004: The US Ambassador to Bangladesh Harry K Thomas announces that in addition to the pledge of $1.3 million assistance to the flood-hit people, the US will provide the wheat worth of $5.5 million through the World Food Programme (WFP) and expressed hope that the international community will respond to the United Nations flash appeal launched Thursday. He also assured the government that the US will consider further help to Bangladesh for post-flood rehabilitation on completion of its flood-damage assessment. The US has already provided 1.6 million water-purifying tablets for the flood victims, with other funds for the rehabilitation and emergency relief currently being carried out by the WFP and CARE-Bangladesh. Initially an $50,000 was given as relief by the US Embassy in Dhaka from the ambassador's discretionary funds. The donor countries and different international organisations had already come forward to provide financial assistance to the Government to implement post-flood rehabilitation programmes. Among the international NGOs, ActionAid Bangladesh has covered a substantial flood hit area and provided relief and necessary support to the distressed people. In Faridpur, ActionAid Bangladesh has conducted a relief operation through its partner organisations AKK, RACINE, SHAPLA and MUF. Along with a number of flood affected families, the Sex workers of C&B ghat were brought under the relief operation. Food package was provided among 1300 affected families of Decreer Char, North Channel, Char Harirampur, Gazirtak, Bindu Community and C&B ghat brothel in Faridpur. In Bogra ActionAid Bangladesh has intervened through its partners, Gram Bikash Songtha, Polli Sastho Unnayan Sanghatha and Bangladesh Soromogibi Somity Following is a cumulative table of the area and family coverage in terms of relief by ActionAid Bangladesh: Name of the organization Gonosasthaya Kendra (GK) Area of intervention Tangail (Nagorpur, Sherpur Sadar Jamalpur (madargonj) Pabna Sadar Difefrent districts, 34 Rural Health centres No of people Covering 4000 families Dhaka Community Hospital Polly Shastha Bogra, Shariakandi 250 families Unnayan Songstha Sramajibi Mohila Bogra, Shariakandi 250 families Samity Nari Maitree Four flood shelters of Dhaka municipality 650 families corporation VERC Manikgonj, (Shingair) 650 fam Songhoti Daulodia, Narayanganj (among Sex workers) 500 families ASEAB Pabna Gram Bangla Unnyan Lauhojong, Munshigonj Committee MMS Chowhali, Sirajgonj VARD/ CNRS Sunamgonj 1450 families SHARP Sirajgonj 350 fam SUS Netrakona 4000 family - 5 -

6 GBS Bogra 1400 family AKK Faridpur 1300 Nari Uddug Kendra Kishorgonj SUSS Tangail family VDC Brahmanbaria Unnayan Shamannay Jamalpur One village GBSS Narshingdi ECDO Moulvibazar and Sylhet 887 families CWFD Dhaka,Narayangonj,Gazipur, Tangail,Netrokona,Gopalpur, Gouripur, Khulna, Barisal, Bhola,Jhalokhati, Magura & Chittagong. SSUS Sirajgonj & Kazipur famlies MSS Dhaka ( slums & periphal areas- keranigonj, Kamrangirchar ) families AAB has also received a fund from the ActionAid-Uk emergency fund for immediate support to the affected people and also ECHO fund to provide food and homestead gardening support to families of Jamalpur and Kurigram and soon the will start the post flood rehabilitation work after the damage assessment. Already AAB is conducting a social audit in collaboration with a weekly named Saptahik 2000 on the embankment collapse and its impact on people and also planning for another social audit on the flood shelter. Conclusion: The over all flood situations is improving in all parts of the country. Different Ministry and Department of the Government is finalizing their damage assessment which will be available by next week. The Government is confident that with the support from the development partners and the internal resources the rehabilitation work will be done effectively and on time. PPPDU/CDMP - 6 -