Rangamati Correspondent

Information has emerged about the huge damage caused by the floods in the Rangamati Hill District due to continuous heavy rains and landslides.

According to the latest report of the district administration, the estimated total number of people affected by the floods in Rangamati district this time has reached 1 lakh 8 thousand 7,17 people. Due to the severity of the situation, many have been forced to leave their homes and move to safer places to save their lives. 6,155 people have taken shelter in the shelters opened by the district administration for these people who have been affected by the disaster.

The flood has affected Baghaichhari and Bilaichhari upazilas the most in Rangamati. Of these, three unions of Baghaichhari upazila, namely Baghaichhari Union, Marishya Union and Sajek Union and Farua Union of Bilaichhari upazila have been the most affected.

Due to landslides and floods, houses, shops, business establishments and various educational institutions in these areas have been flooded. At the same time, many important roads have been partially or completely damaged due to the terrible landslide, cutting off communication with the district headquarters.

Meanwhile, the district administration has stood by the flood-affected marginalized and affected people. So far, 32,546 people in the affected areas have been directly assisted by the administration. As an emergency aid to the affected, the administration has so far distributed 35 lakh taka in cash, 295 metric tons of rice and 2,314 packets of dry food including muri, chira, jaggery, candles and water purification tablets.

The flood has caused major damage to the main economic sectors of the district as well as homes. According to the district administration, 3,675 hectares of cultivated land in Rangamati have been completely submerged in flood water, the government is currently assessing the final economic loss.

On the other hand, many ponds and fishery projects have been washed away by the flood water. Although there has been no structural damage to the fisheries sector, a total economic loss of 3.4 crore 1.32 crore taka has been caused due to the washed away fish. In addition, the main lifeline roads of the communication system in the hilly areas have been severely damaged. As about 156.5 kilometers of roads have been damaged in the floods and landslides, the government is also reviewing the budget required for emergency repairs to make them passable.

The district administration has taken several far-reaching and timely future plans to deal with the next disaster and rehabilitate the victims. It has been informed that these plans will be implemented quickly to overcome the damage as soon as the mountain water recedes and return the common people to normal life.

In this regard, Rangamati Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Nazma Ashrafi said, "We have taken an integrated master plan to reduce the risk of future disasters and for the long-term rehabilitation of the victims.

As part of this, a state-of-the-art flood shelter will be built in each upazila of the flood-affected areas. At the same time, it has been decided to purchase emergency fiber boats or speedboats for flood-prone upazilas to reach the affected people and rescue teams as soon as possible in hilly floods and in remote situations. "We have already started work at the field level, preparing an accurate list of the actual affected families and granting them corrugated iron and cash to quickly repair their houses."