Assessment report on Bangladesh flood

In whole around 10,000,000 people in Bangladesh have been affected by the flood caused by the heavy rain of the monsoon since July. With the funds from Japan Platform, Habitat Japan conducted initial assessment of the damage of the flood from September 4th to 12th.　
Bangladesh is situated at the foot of 3 big rivers (Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna) and majority of the nation’s land is less than 7 meters above sea level. Almost every year, Bangladesh experiences flooding. However the water level was unusual this year. Heading toward the suburb of the Dhaka, the assessment team saw that the farm was inundated and became similar to a lake. Especially along with the Januma (Brahmaputra) river, which flows through Tibet and India, many houses and farms were damaged. While we were staying in Bangladesh (around September 8), another heavy rain struck, and the water level went even higher causing more damage. We visited the affected area in and around the Jamuna River at Arjuna, Gabsara and Nikrail Union in Bhuapur Upazila, Tangail. The islands (char) in the river went under the water, and we could see only some remaining houses on the higher levels. In Bhuapur, more than 100,000 people, of the 180,000 (1991) population, have been affected. There has be damage to 1,081 houses and partial damage to 18,581 houses.
Some of the affected population stay on temporarily land permitted by the local government, and others stay with their relatives. There are even some who built the temporary shelter without permission on others’ land and stay there. At the camp where we visited, a few tube wells provides drinking water, but there did not seem to be enough. The condition of the overall sanitation is not good.
When we interviewed the victims at the sites, many showed their desire to go back to their own land once the water subsides. After the water subsides, the local government plans to ask the victims to leave the camp. There is even a possibility for them to be evicted. In such situation, help is needed to build transitional houses on their original land in order for them to transfer smoothly to a recovery phase and to improve the present living situation.
The victims, who lost everything by the flood, can not afford to buy the materials to build their houses. However the people know basic carpentry. Habitat Japan plans to assist them to build transitional houses on their return to their own land.