Bangladesh floods: our response

[Caritas Bangladesh]

August 2011: Severe monsoon rains have caused several major rivers to burst their banks in Bangladesh. Nearly one million people have been affected, according to to Bangladesh's Disaster Management Bureau.

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With houses, roads and farms damaged across wide areas, hundreds of thousands of people are in urgent need of food, water, shelter and clean drinking water.

Paula Nyunt from our Bangladesh team said: “There is some form of localised flooding every year in Bangladesh as there are more than 200 rivers, but this flood is worse than usual. In some areas, there have been 22 days of non-stop rain.

“In the longer term, we’re helping people prepare for floods by building cyclone shelters and flood-resistant homes and by ensuring that families have other means of earning a living when their farms or ponds are damaged. But right now the priority is to support people who have been forced to flee their homes and who have lost their basic assets.”

How we are helping

We are working with local partners to provide food packs and basic necessities like clothes, cooking utensils and pots and pans, as well as water purification tablets to help prevent the spread of disease.

Jahangir Alam from our partner Dhaka Ahsania Mission said: “What you are doing is not merely a project but a glaring example of serving humanity.” Jyoti Gomes from Caritas Bangladesh said: “Thank you very much for your deep concern for our people in need.”

It is predicted that rivers will continue to rise over the coming days. Please keep the people affected in your thoughts and prayers.

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