The Flood of Bangladesh and My Experiences

by Animesh

BBC has arranged ‘Bangladesh Sanglapa’ on 5 August 2007 at Bangladesh Cina Friendship Conference. In that discussion the first question was about Bangladeshi flood. All the audiences discussed more than 15 minuets. The authority invited the guests who were from the different political parties, cultural person and climatologist. The first question was from an audience, ‘Why the political leaders are not going to help the flood affected peoples.’ The guests answered according to their capability and were try to show their bindings to help flood affected peoples. Anyway, I have question on their opinions.

Dear readers, I keen to inform you about my experiences on flood which was 1987, 1988 and 1998.

In 1987, I was the student of class five a 10 years old boy. It was the first flood. In that time we lived in stage which was made by bamboo. We had to move one places to another by boat. We had no problem because the villagers had a good habit to move by boat. Both male and female knows how to swim and how to drive boat. I can remember clear that our tube-well went under water and we had go to collect water everyday 2km away form our home.

The flood of 1988 was terrible. The water level was so high that we had not opportunity to live in our house because the water level was nearly hour house roof. So we had to take shelter near the dam which was completed recent year. Not only we but also all of our villagers took their shelter on that dam.

At that time the miserable experiences was that people who were inside the dam. I am saying the miserable experiences because their house went under water when they all slept. The area we live is beside the river and outside the dam. So, in the area we lived the water level raised slowly and it took more than 5days. The poor people basically who are day labor had no work. They lead their life by the help of relief. Our father helped two families whole month by giving food.

For the dam, the water level was more than 600cm differences between the two sides. We took our shelter on the dam and the peoples who was inside laughed at us. I can remember clear that the water raised more than 200cm in a day. At that night, the dam was broken by the force of water and they did not get time to take themselves shelter. For this many people and cattle died. It took nearly one month to reduce the water from our areas.

In 1998, whole Bangladesh was affected by flood. I just have finished my higher education and lived on our local town. I had some experience about flood. But the town people had no experiences how to save themselves from flood. Many people took shelter on different schools and colleges who came form the different villages. My village homes went under water too. That time we had to take shelter on that dam too.

I think, it is not time to quarrel and not to show the excuse. Just help the flood affected people according to one’s capabilities. I had no desire to express my experiences. But the ‘Bangladesh Sanglapa’ bound me to describe it.