DanChurchAid
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is badly hit
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| Photo: RDRS |
“I have witnessed massive flooding and I have met with people, who have been driven away from their homes and have lost their jobs” relates Jonas Nøddekær, who is Asia-coordinator for DanChurchAid.
Jonas Nøddekær has only just returned from Dhaka after an extensive field trip in Bangladesh, where he has reviewed the extent of the damages from the monsoon rain that has forced the country’s rivers to overflow onto the nearby fields.
Different Emergency Situations
The flooding has had a diverse but drastic affect all over the country.
“In the northern part, the situation was desperate a couple of weeks ago. The inhabited islands in the delta have been flooded, but the water level is receding now, and many families have moved back into their homes again”, says Jonas Nøddekær.
But there is no work because the fields are still flooded, and those who have land, do not have any seed grain to plant.
“That is why there is a need for work-for-food projects and seed grain” says Jonas Nøddekær.
Dependent on Aid
In the central part of Bangladesh, in the Manekeunj area, relief packages are still being distributed. People are living in sheds along the roads that are elevated, and because their homes and fields are flooded.
“Out here we met people who told us that there are a lot of snakes in the water, and that they have to be on constant lookout for their children, so they don’t fall into the water. Several have drowned already” Jonas Nøddekær relates.
The families who have been driven from their homes, have no money, there is no work because of the flooding, so they are very dependent on the aid.
Dhaka Surrounded by Water
In the capital Dhaka, where several rivers pass, the water in the rivers have overflowed again. And it has started to rain.
“The whole city is surrounded by water”, says Jonas Nøddekær.
DanChurchAid is currently seeking funds to help the population in Bangladesh through local partners, who have already started providing relief packages to their fellow countrymen.
More than 1 Million DKK already dispatched
More than 35 million people have been affected by the massive monsoon rains in South East Asia. India, Bangladesh and Nepal are among the countries that have been hit the hardest by the subsequent massive floods. In some of the areas, the amount of rain is equivalent to, what they usually get over a period of two years.
The massive monsoon rains have rendered millions of people homeless and have resulted in thousands of deaths.
In June DanChurchAid gave 400.000 DKK to our local partners in India, who have provided food, blankets, plastic sheeting and clothes to the homeless people. A further 750.000 DKK has been dispatched to the relief work in the eastern provinces of India: West Bengali, Assam & Bihar.
| More about DanChurchAid & RDRS efforts in Bangladesh. Read more... |
