Flood VS Relief.

Flood-Hit People: Relief hard to come by amid pandemic People standing in floodwaters, some loading boats on which they live now with necessities they have salvaged from their inundated homes. The water of the Jamuna in Bogura’s Sariakandi upazila has been flowing 121cm above the danger level. In this second round of flash floods, around 80,000 people of the district are left stranded. PHOTO: MOSTAFA SHABUJ Star Report The volume of relief and food aid distributed by individuals and private organisations among the flood victims has significantly reduced this year. The poor response from individuals and private organisations might have caused for coronavirus, said locals in the flood-hit areas. Many individuals and business institutions have been making less profit and incurring losses due to the pandemic. Thus, they were less interested in distributing relief, they added. Also, a large number of affluent people do not want to go out of their houses to minimise the risk of being infected with Covid-19, they further added. Meanwhile, at least 11 rivers across the country were flowing above the danger level yesterday. At this time when thousands of people remained marooned in northern and northeastern regions, fresh areas in districts adjacent to the capital were feared to be inundated. In Lalmonirhat and Kurigram, no Non-Government Organisation (NGO) and individual was seen in the flood affected areas. Sadek Ali, 66, a flood victim at Sardob village in Kurigram Sadar upazila, said individuals and NGOs previously offered them help with dry food, candle, fire box, soap, saline, lamp, and kerosene oil. "None of them came forward to help us this year," he said. Echoing Sadek's statement, Sekendar Ali, 50, of Lalmonirhat town's Thanapara, said he used to distribute relief among the victims in the previous years but he did not go out this year considering the Covid-19 situation. In Pabna, Baser Pramanik, of Betil Char in Sirajganj's Chowhali upazila, has been marooned for over a month now but nobody reached him with relief. Mentioning his expectations of relief from NGOs, he said none came forward this year to help them. In Sunamganj, the situation was quite similar. Mohammad Ful Miah, chairman of Gourarang union, said he saw no private initiative to help the victims this year. "The help that is coming from the administration is not sufficient. Private initiatives could help the victims," he said. In Nilphamari, Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas were the worst affected. People there were suffering immensely as a second spell of flood hit them. Moynul Islam, chairman of worst flood hit Tepakharibari union in Dimla