EU provides aid to Padma river erosion victims in Shariatpur

FT ONLINE

The European Union (EU) is providing humanitarian aid to help address the needs of the families who have become most vulnerable due to the recent collapse of the Padma river embankment in the central Bangladeshi district of Shariatpur.

The aid, worth EUR 80 000 (BDT 7.84 million), will directly benefit a total of 15 000 affected people, an EU press release said on Monday.

This EU funding supports the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) in delivering much-needed assistance to those who have lost their homes through the distribution of tarpaulins and shelter tool kits, it said.

In addition, multipurpose cash grants are also being provided to targeted households to ensure those most in need have enough means to meet their basic needs and sustain their day-to-day livelihoods, it mentioned.

This funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), according to the EU press release.

An increase in water levels in the Padna River - the largest river system in Bangladesh that has been severely affected by erosion since early September - during the first three weeks of September led to the sudden collapse of many vulnerable portions of its embankment.

More than 8 000 houses and public facilities located within a five-kilometre radius from the river have been washed away, resulting in the displacement of more than 43 000 people in the Naria and Zajira sub-districts, alongside a 1.5-kilometre stretch of main roads and infrastructures, said the EU release.

It is estimated that over 8 000 will become permanently displaced. The event has also caused significant damage to crops, seeds and agricultural lands, impacting the overall food security of the affected populations, it said, adding that food shortages have also been reported.