Severe flooding in Bangladesh leaves thousands at risk of disease

Monsoon flooding and landslides have left thousands of people vulnerable and without shelter, after heavy rains ravaged parts of South Asia last week.

Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes, and since the weekend, over 300 people have lost their lives.

In Bangladesh, over 1.5 million people have been affected in districts such as Sylhet, Rangpur, and Chittagong. As the river Jamuna continues to swell up, and with monsoon rains in full swing, more people are likely to be affected in the coming days. Floods, adverse landslides and riverbank erosion, have damaged roads, communications and key infrastructures.

In Bangladesh, Islamic Relief is supporting affected families by providing emergency funds to pay for urgently needed items such as food, hygiene products and water and sanitation provisions. The Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK, has given Islamic Relief and other charities, a total of £600,000 to urgently reach affected communities.

Tufail Hussain, Islamic Relief’s UK Director said:

“The situation is absolutely dire. Our teams are closely monitoring the situation over the coming days to see if there is further flooding. Thousands have lost their homes and are now facing the elements without any kind of protection. People have also lost their means to make a living due to the damage to crops, livestock and fisheries.”

“We also extremely concerned about the huge risk of disease spreading due to the prolonged floods.”

Experts predict that flooding and other natural disasters will become more intense and frequent as the planet continues to warm. Tackling climate change is a key priority for Islamic Relief which works with many communities who are suffering from its devastating effects.

In Bangladesh and other countries, Islamic Relief are helping people become more resilient to the effects of climate change and are also campaigning for urgent action to protect the environment from further harm.

ENDS

For press enquiries contact Sultan Ahmed on 07471 033566 [email protected]

Notes to editors

• Islamic Relief is an independent humanitarian and development organisation, which has been transforming and saving lives across the globe since 1984. We are one of the world’s largest faith-inspired charities, with more than 100 offices delivering programmes to benefit vulnerable people in over 40 countries worldwide. As well as responding to global disasters and emergencies, we also carry out long-term development work with people and communities, regardless of their race, religion or gender.
• The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting Islamic Relief through Start Fund Bangladesh, which is an emergency pooled fund, funded by UK Aid and managed by 46 international, national, and local NGOs of Bangladesh. The aim of this fund is to rapidly respond to small and medium scale emergencies, that are under the radar and under-funded.
• We respond to disasters and emergencies, we promote sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities – regardless of race, religion or gender.
• Islamic Relief is one of the 14 UK charities that form the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) – see islamic-relief.org.uk/AboutUs.aspx.
• In its 34-year history, Islamic Relief has helped 110m people worldwide.
• Islamic Relief is a signatory of the Red Cross Code of Conduct, an international standard on working with people affected by emergencies in a non-biased manner, and has acquired NGO status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council. We have signed a Framework Partnership with the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department, and a partnership agreement with UNHCR that reaffirms both organisations’ principles of giving aid without discrimination.