Although the floodwater of the past several days has started to recede, the suffering of people in Bandarban municipality has not ended. Instead, residents are in great distress from the stench spreading from mud, rubbish and rotting waste that has piled up in various areas. There are also fears that waterborne and infectious diseases could spread.
A visit to Armypara, Kyachinghata, Islampur and Kalaghata in Bandarban municipality on Monday, 13 July, found that although the floodwater had gone, mud and waste of every kind lay across roads, lanes, drains, homes and yards. In many places drains are clogged with mud, hampering drainage. As a result, a strong stench has spread across the whole area.
Md Abdul Karim, a resident of Armypara, said: "The water has gone, but heaps of mud remain inside and outside the house. There is a stench everywhere. We are very worried about our small children."
Residents demand cleanup
Locals said plastic, branches, household waste and rotting rubbish washed in by the floodwater had piled up in different places. They demanded that it be removed quickly and that disinfectant be sprayed.
Ritol Biswas, joint convener of the Bandarban district BNP convening committee and a resident of Armypara, said cleaning up was now harder than the flood itself. The rotten smell of the rubbish has made the air so heavy that even breathing has become difficult, he said.
He feared that unless the rubbish was removed quickly, cholera, diarrhoea and other epidemics could break out, and he urged municipal officials to clear it as soon as possible.
Municipality short of hands
Officials of Bandarban municipality said cleaning began as soon as the floodwater receded. Cleaners are removing mud and rubbish in different wards, and disinfectant spraying has been arranged in key areas. The work will continue until the situation returns to normal, they said.
Didarul Haque Chowdhury, conservancy inspector of Bandarban municipality, said waste removal had been somewhat hampered by a shortage of manpower and logistics, because food assistance was still being provided at shelters and disaster-hit areas. Removal work will begin once the water has fully receded, he said.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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