Miseries of flood victims
Zabed Wali, Pahartali, Chittagong
As the flood situation takes a turn for the worse, the miseries of the people multiply and assume a greater magnitude. Children sitting on a floor made of bamboo-poles, with water flowing underneath, old men clutching their belongings as they wade through the waist-deep water--these are some of the images that appear on the front page of the national dailies.Disastrous as it is, flood has brought man and animals on the same level. We see people and their pets--cows, goats and ducks --sharing the same habitation. The fury of nature has forced them to take refuge in the upper zones which are dry and above the level of rushing floodwater. One can see high roads being inundated by floodwater. Rows of vehicles, crammed with people and goods, being stuck up in flooded roads: another common spectacle. Water-borne diseases have broken out in those areas, as there is a scarcity of pure drinking water. Again, children are facing the risk of falling into water. Snakes also pose a great danger during floods as they look for dry space. In short, this time around floods have created a very difficult situation for the rural masses. Only determined and quick relief operations, on the part of the government, can alleviate, if not totally eliminate, their miseries.
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. PHOTO: AFP |
