Flood-hit people to be rehabilitated, PM reiterates
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her assurance that all the flood-affected people will be rehabilitated.
"Don't be panicked and don't worry about the flood. All of you will be rehabilitated," she said at a view exchange meeting on the review of the recent flood situation in the Sylhet division and rehabilitation of the affected people at the Sylhet Circuit house.
The premier has given a set of directives to all concerned particularly the field-level administration to take prompt measures to ease the suffering of the flood-hit people.
Spelling out experiences during the 1998 flooding, she said steps should be taken to arrange dry foods for the flood-hit people as they can easily preserve and eat those for several days.
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Sheikh Hasina also advised the flood-affected people to somehow harvest rainwater as it has been raining cats and dogs in the region.
She asked all concerned to distribute an adequate number of water purifying tablets, required medicines and saline to the flood-hit people.
She stressed the need for constructing elevated ways instead of roads filling soil in the haor areas like Sylhet, Sunamganj and Kishoreganj for smooth transportation of the people and goods during such disasters alongside ensuring their durability.
About dredging of the Kushiara River, the prime minister said that she favours capital dredging in a river for a single time and maintenance dredging every year to ensure their navigability.
She said once the greater Sylhet had a number of beels (water bodies) and there were drains in front of almost every house to hold water, but unfortunately, there is now no such beel and drain here.
These beels and drains are now being replaced with big buildings and establishments due to the development spree in Sylhet, she said, adding that the situation of Mymensingh is similar to Sylhet.
"We have to carry out our development activities keeping that in mind," she said.
The premier asked the authorities concerned to take measures to make sure that the water cannot enter the food depots and food can be transported easily from the storehouses during the flood.
About power cuts during the flood, she said the electricity connection is usually snapped during storms and flooding mainly to avoid any new disaster like deaths in electrocution.
The prime minister asked the administration to clean the entire flood-affected areas of the Sylhet region by bleaching powder to protect the people from infectious diseases like diarrhoea and fever after the water started receding.
She said she had already instructed the health ministry to this end.
The premier asked the authorities concerned to reactivate the land phone lines to ensure uninterrupted communications during the flood.
The premier greeted the district administrations, armed forces and the leaders and activists of the Awami League for doing commendable jobs by reaching relief items to hard-to-reach flood-affected areas.
Earlier, she witnessed the flood situation in Sylhet, Netrokona and Sunamganj districts as the helicopter carrying her hovered over the affected areas maintaining "low fly mode".
The prime minister also handed over assistance to deputy commissioners of Sylhet and Sunamganj from her Relief and Welfare Fund and later distributed relief items to some affected people.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin accompanied the prime minister while visiting the flood-affected areas.
