Flood water has started coming down from the affected area of Feni. The scars of the flood are coming out. Diseases appear with. Diarrhea, skin diseases along with fever, cold-cough are affecting the people of the flood affected area. Many people have sores, scabs on their hands and feet.
Elderly and children are suffering from fever, cold and diarrhea in Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur and Comilla due to flood situation for 9 days. The flood victims say that all sides are still under water. Many community clinics are closed. They are deprived of adequate medicines and medical care.
According to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, 619 medical teams are operational in 11 districts to provide medical services to people in flood-affected areas. Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to floods has increased. According to the updated information of the ministry about the flood situation, 31 people have died till noon on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, there was a long jam of relief vehicles on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway yesterday morning. This caused traffic jams on the 15 km section of the highway from Jatrabari to Madanpur. However, traffic on the road returned to normal in the afternoon.
Children are more affected
The flood situation has improved in Parashuram and Phulghazi in Feni. However, the flood water is receding slowly in Chagalnaia, Feni Sadar, Sonagazi and Daganbhooya upazilas. Medical services are not reaching the poor people staying in permanent and temporary shelters in various remote villages of Feni. Most community clinics are closed. In the last two days, the upazila health complexes have been opened. Treatment is being given there. But most of the permanent-temporary shelters are inaccessible to health workers. Parents are in trouble with their children.
In the last three days, six temporary shelters in different areas of Fazilpur, Lemua, Chagalnaya of Feni Sadar have been visited, children are suffering from fever and cold.
Tanya Akter’s house is in North Tongirpar Haji Bari Mosque area of Chanua Union No. 10 of Feni Sadar Upazila. His four-year-old daughter Varnamala has been suffering from fever, cold and cough for four days. The area around his house is still submerged. The path is not visible. Can’t take the girl to the doctor.
Tanya told Prothom Alo that no health workers have visited their area yet. On the night of August 21, they took refuge in a local mosque. He stayed there till August 26. Among them, alphabet fever is caused by getting wet in rain and flood water. There was no medicine in the house. So he is worried about his daughter.
Civil surgeon Shihab Uddin of Feni district said that it is not possible to go from village to village due to water. He told Prothom Alo that they are getting more patients with diarrhoea, fever and cold. Children are more affected. Already six emergency teams have been formed in six upazilas. Treatment is being given through the camp.
In Noakhali, children in shelters and waterlogged homes are on the rise. Helal Uddin (28) went to the shelter with two children 9 days ago as the flood water entered the residence. Two-year-old son Nahid has been bedridden with fever and cold for a week. Borrowed money and brought medicine from the market. No improvement yet. Meanwhile yesterday a doctor (member of the medical team) came and gave the capsules. But the child does not want to take the capsule. Helal Uddin, who took shelter in the Char Darbesh Government Primary School Shelter of Dharmapur Union of Noakhali Sadar Upazila, does not understand what to do now.
District Civil Surgeon Masum Iftekhar told Prothom Alo that 88 medical teams are working to provide medical services to people who have taken shelter in flood-affected areas and shelters. They visit every shelter and provide services to the affected people as well as providing essential medicines including water purification pills, saline for consumption.
Not enough medicine available
Flood-affected people of Lakshmipur are suffering from various water-borne diseases due to drinking polluted water and walking in flood water. In this situation, the health department has asked for the allocation of medicines on an urgent basis for the affected areas. But till yesterday 50 thousand orsalines were found.
According to the Civil Surgeon’s office, 63 and one special medical team are working in Lakshmipur to provide medical care to Banvasids. 40 union level community clinics and three sub health centers were submerged.
Banvasi Kohinur Begum (45) of Jaipur area of Sadar Upazila said that there is still flood water in many houses of this village. They have to move in this water. He has skin disease on his hands and feet. He also said that all the families in the village have some kind of disease.
Ahmed Kabir, civil surgeon of Laxmipur, said that the health workers are going to the houses of Banvasis in remote areas by boat, making inquiries and giving necessary medicines.
About 80 thousand people have taken shelter in 724 shelters in Comilla. 207 medical teams have been formed to provide healthcare to the elderly and children. However, no medical team has gone to remote villages yet. Flood-affected people in those areas are not receiving medical care.
Rasulpur village is the northern end of Comilla Adarsh Sadar Upazila. It can be seen on the ground yesterday afternoon, the whole village is polluted by the waste of the drain and the waste of the toilet.
Mohammad Shaheen, a resident of that village, has an abscess on his leg. Showing boils and bruises on both legs, Shaheen said, ‘Old people like us have boils on their feet. The condition of the little ones is more dangerous. The community clinic of this village is still not providing such medical services.’
Comilla Deputy Civil Surgeon Nazmul Hossain said that 207 medical teams have been formed for the flood victims. Attempts to serve remote areas continue.
Flood deaths rise to 31
KM Ali Reza, additional secretary of the ministry, presented the information about the death due to flood in a press conference organized by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief at the Secretariat yesterday. It was informed in the press conference that till now 73 upazilas of 11 districts have been flooded. The districts are Feni, Comilla, Chittagong, Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar, Khagrachari, Brahmanbaria, Laxmipur, Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sylhet. Among them, 12 died in Comilla, 5 in Chittagong, 6 in Noakhali, 3 in Cox’s Bazar, 2 in Feni, 1 in Khagrachari, 1 in Brahmanbaria and 1 in Lakshmipur. Apart from this, two people are missing in Moulvibazar.
According to the latest update (up to 1 am on Wednesday), 12 lakh 27 thousand 554 families are still water-locked, which was 12 lakh 7 thousand 429 families the previous day. Apart from this, the number of affected people has increased to 58 lakh 22 thousand 734. So far 4 thousand 3 shelters have been opened. In these 5 lakh 40 thousand 510 people have been given shelter.
Traffic congestion under ‘relief vehicle pressure’
About 15 km long traffic jam occurred on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway ‘under the pressure of relief trucks and pickup vans’. The traffic jam that started yesterday morning started from Jatrabari area of the capital and ended at Chittagong-bound lane at Madanpur in Narayanganj. As the day progressed, the traffic jam in the Jatrabari section eased, but the traffic jam spread from Madanpur to Mograpara intersection. This stretch of highway was congested and traffic moved at a halt till afternoon. The passengers and drivers of that road suffered a lot. After four in the afternoon, the traffic was normal.
