SITREP FLOODS IN 01 AUGUST 2007, 16:30 HRS

Highlights of Current Situation:

• Flood situation continued to deteriorate in most flood-affected districts and flood waters are roaring towards the capital. • The Brahmaputra-Jamuna rivers started falling at up-stream (Noonkhawa & Chilmari) points while it continued rising at down- stream points (Bahadurabad, Serajganj & Aricha). • The overall flood situation worsened in the northern and north-eastern part of the country and deteriorated in Jamalpur, Sirajgonj, Pabna & Tanglail. • The situation remained static in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, and Bogra and is likely to improve in Netrakona, Sunamganj and Sylhet districts. • More areas are likely to inundate soon in Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Shariatpur and Dohar and Nawabganj of . • Flood protection embankments were breached in some areas. • More than half of the country is partially inundated (34 out of 64 districts) with wide-spread disruption in communication. • Water born diseases like acute diarrhea and skin disease have broken out in some places (31/64 districts). • There are food, drinking water and shelter shortages in flood-hit areas. • At least 7 died in Sirajganj, Gaibandhai, and Jamalpur in the last 24 hours (31 July), unofficial sources say 11 died. During the beginning of the floods (20 July), at least 22 people died and 37 went missing in different flooding districts, unofficial sources reported. Rainfall:

• Significant rainfalls recorded during the last 24 hrs ending at 6 AM today are: Sylhet: 135 mm, Knaighat: 76.0 mm, Lorergarh: 61.0 mm, Sherpur: 51.0 mm

Flood affected Areas:

34 out of 64 districts are now partially or completely flood affected • In , Feni, Noakhali, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur and Comilla are inudated. • In , Sylhet, Sunamganj and Habiganj are affected. • In , Dhaka, Manikganj, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona, Tangail, , Kishorganj, Munsiganj, Faridpur, Rajbari, Madaripur, Narayanganj and Shariatpur are engulfed. • In , Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra, Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Chapainawabganj are inundated. • In , Magura and Jhenaidah are affected. Courtesy: all maps & pictures collected from Flood Forecasting & weather centre, Bangladesh, the national news paper of Bangladesh on 01 August 2007

Impact of floods: • Nearly one million people in flood affected districts have now become marooned. • The affected populations are at risk to water borne, skin and other infectious diseases as well as drowning, snake bite and electrocution. 1

Death figure in last 24 hours: 7 persons • 4 persons died, including 3 children in : drowned 2, electrocuted 1 and another 1 killed by snakebite; • 2 people drowned in Gaibanda district; • 1 person died from snake bite in Jamalpur district.

Disease outbreak situation-DGHS Activities:

• DGHS control room recorded a total of 1327 diarrhea cases with no deaths reported in the last 24 hours in 31 flood affected districts including ICDDRB. • Between 25-31 July, 11,383 diarrhea cases with 2 deaths in Jhinaidah district (CFR= 0.02%) were recorded countrywide.

Distribution of Diarrhoea Cases by Districts 25 - 31 July , 2007 1000 Cases: 11,383, Deaths:02, CFR: 0.02% 2693 900 886 2 /

800 783

700 620 600 599 540 500 398 381

400 369 352 346 283 269 268 300 267 259 256 228 226 207

200 168 150 150 145 124 119 100 100 85 48 36 22 0 6 Feni Bhola Narail Pabna Natore Barisal Khulna Tangail Magura Comilla Jessore Pirojpur Dinajpur Faridpur Rangpur ICDDR'B Rajshahi Noakhali Habiganj Naogaon Joypurhat Gopalganj Jhenaidha Patuakhali Nilphamari Nawabganj Sunamganj Thakurgaon Panchagarh Lalmonirhat Narayanganj Mymensingh

• Control Room at DGHS and all CS offices of respective districts have been alerted for monitoring the health situation on 24/7 basis and 2877Medical Teams are working in the districts to provide emergency medical service to the flood victims to tackle the health problems in 40 temporary treatment centers for mitigating of health impacts due to floods.

WHO Activities: • WHO BAN EHA program is ensuring stockpiles of emergency medicines for disease outbreaks management; • Providing country-wide training on health education activities through Bureau of Health Education (BHE), DGHS; • Collaborating with Government health sector’s EPR program for any additional support, as and when needed; • Monitoring and surveillance of disease outbreak situation (diarrhea, dysentery, ARI, skin-, eye- and ear infections, etc.) in collaboration with the Control Room, DGHS with support from WHO Surveillance Medical Officers of IVD program.

2 Damages due to Floods: • Crops are under water in all the affected districts. • Neck-deep floodwater forced almost all shops, kitchen markets, and clinics in Sirajganj Sadar to close. • Fish in 10,000 ponds in the worth around Tk 20 Crore were washed away. • The ferry service is still suspended between Paturia & Nagarbari of Manikgonj. • Trains are suspended between Trimohoni and Balashighat due to one kilometer of railway line being under water. • Roads are disrupted and damaged between Kazipur and Sirajgonj, Sirajgonj - Bogra, Gaibandha - Balashighat, Netrakona Sadar - Kalmakanda, Durgapur - Kendua, Tangail - Kalihati, Tangail - Nagarpur and Dhaka – Shariotpur. • At least 120 roads in Sirajganj district went under water and most of these were completely or partially damaged. • Paddy on 10,7000 hectares and vegetables on 1,600 hectares went under water in Manikgonj. • 26,591 acres of land were completely damaged in Tangail. Flood Shelter: • Inadequate flood shelter and lack of toilets in most places; • Many families have taken shelter on boats, highways, embankments, schools and government buildings. Social Impact: • Educational institutions of the affected districts remain closed; • Day laborers are jobless and without wages in most floods affected areas. Immediate needs: • Water treatment systems in the flood-affected areas; • Essential food items such as rice, pulses, edible oil, and salt; • Essential supplies like O.R.S., WPT, Liquid Chlorine, IV Ringer’s Lactate, injectable, oral & topical antibiotics, antipyretics, antihistamines; • Short-term emergency relief operation should be mounted immediately in some affected areas. Control room: • Control rooms are working round the clock at the district and headquarters in the flood-hit areas. Rescue and relief operation:

Members of the Armed Forces with local administration are working round the clock in the affected areas rescuing marooned people: • shifting them to safer places; • distributing relief goods, rice, safe drinking water, WPT; • At least 173 tons of rice and Tk 4 lakh in cash have been allocated for relief in Sirajganj; • The district administration distributed 18 tons of rice and dry food in Durgapur, Kalmakanda and Khaliajuri upazillas in Netrokona; • Army personnel from the 17-Artillery Field Regiment are supplying drinking water to flood victims using their own water treatment equipment.

Prepared by: WHO-BAN EHA team; WHO-NDSC Office, IEDCR Building, Mohakhali, Dhaka: 1212 Email: [email protected]; Call: 01199 816016

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