DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshis are struggling to make a living, with more than 40 percent of the country submerged in water following the worst floods since 1998, officials said Saturday.
As of Saturday 41 people had died from the floods, which has affected more than 5.5 million people out of a population of 166 million since June, according to government data.
“We are continuing relief activities in the flood-hit areas,” Moazzem Hossain, additional secretary at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told Arab News. “At present, around 70,000 flood victims are sheltered in 1,452 shelter centers and we will continue this relief support as long as needed.”
The worst-affected areas in the north, northeast and central Bangladesh include Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Natore, Sirajgong, Bogura, Jamalpur, Netrokona, Sylhet, Sunamganj, Munshiganj, Tangail, and Manikganj districts.
Officials said that although the floodwaters had receded, the recovery time could be longer in certain pockets of the country due to waterlogging which would invariably “increase the suffering” of people in several areas.
“Including the two main rivers, Padma and Jamuna, 12 other rivers are now flowing above the danger level,” Arifur Rahman, executive engineer at the flood forecast and warning center at the Water Development Board told Arab News. “The situation is expected to have a better look by the end of this week as floodwater started receding in some areas.”
On the ground, however, residents said the situation was much worse than what was being reported.
“I have been living on the dam for around one month,” Ashek Nizam, a 43-year-old fisherman from Munshiganj district, told Arab News. “The floodwater started inundating our village during night hours and we didn’t get enough time to save our valuables. I just rushed to the nearby dam with my three children and wife.”
He said that the floods had dealt “a double blow” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “I had no income since last April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t know how I can feed my children in the coming days since my annual rice stocks have been washed away by floodwater,” he added.
Abdur Rahman, another flood victim and a farmer from the same area, was distraught and feared a “bleak future” after losing all his cattle to the floods.
“It appeared so quickly that I was not able to save my cattle,” he told Arab News, his voice choking as he spoke. “I have no idea how I can continue my land cultivation in the next dry season.”
Hossain said authorities were assessing the damage and losses caused.
“Authorities will continue the relief support program unless people find the way out of their regular livelihoods. We have enough resources and funds in stock and there is nothing to worry about in this situation unless any other major disaster hits the country.”
Thousands struggle to stay afloat as Bangladesh floods wreak havoc
https://arab.news/jy9wv
Thousands struggle to stay afloat as Bangladesh floods wreak havoc
- As of Saturday 41 people had died from the floods, which has affected more than 5.5 million people
- Officials said that although floodwaters had receded, recovery time could be longer due to waterlogging
India accelerates free trade agreements against backdrop of US tariffs
- India signed a CEPA with Oman on Thursday and a CETA with the UK in July
- Delhi is also in advanced talks for trade pacts with the EU, New Zealand, Chile
NEW DELHI: India has accelerated discussions to finalize free trade agreements with several nations, as New Delhi seeks to offset the impact of steep US import tariffs and widen export destinations amid uncertainties in global trade.
India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Oman on Thursday, which allows India to export most of its goods without paying tariffs, covering 98 percent of the total value of India’s exports to the Gulf nation.
The deal comes less than five months after a multibillion-dollar trade agreement with the UK, which cut tariffs on goods from cars to alcohol, and as Indian trade negotiators are in advanced talks with New Zealand, the EU and Chile for similar partnerships.
They are part of India’s “ongoing efforts to expand its trade network and liberalize its trade,” said Anupam Manur, professor of economics at the Takshashila Institution.
“The renewed efforts to sign bilateral FTAs are partly an after-effect of New Delhi realizing the importance of diversifying trade partners, especially after India’s biggest export market, the US, levied tariff rates of up to 50 percent on India.”
Indian exporters have been hit hard by the hefty tariffs that went into effect in August.
Months of negotiations with Washington have not clarified when a trade deal to bring down the tariffs would be signed, while the levies have weighed on sectors such as textiles, auto components, metals and labor-intensive manufacturing.
The FTAs with other nations will “help partially in mitigating the effects of US tariffs,” Manur said.
In particular, Oman can “act as a gateway to other Gulf countries and even parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Africa,” and the free trade deal will most likely benefit “labor-intensive sectors in India,” he added.
The chances of concluding a deal with Washington “will prove to be difficult,” said Arun Kumar, a retired economics professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
“With the US, the chances of coming to (an agreement) are a bit difficult, because they want to get our agriculture market open, which we cannot do. They want us to reduce trade with Russia. That’s also difficult for India to do,” he told Arab News.
US President Donald Trump has threatened sanctions over India’s historic ties with Moscow and its imports of Russian oil, which Washington says help fund Moscow’s ongoing war with Ukraine.
“President Trump is constantly creating new problems, like with H-1B visa and so on now. So some difficulty or the other is expected. That’s why India is trying to build relationships with other nations,” Kumar said, referring to increased vetting and delays under the Trump administration for foreign workers, who include a large number of Indian nationals.
“Substituting for the US market is going to be tough. So certainly, I think India should do what it can do in terms of promoting trade with other countries.”
India has free trade agreements with more than 10 countries, including comprehensive economic partnership agreements with South Korea, Japan, and the UAE.
It is in talks with the EU to conclude an FTA, amid new negotiations launched this year for trade agreements, including with New Zealand and Chile.
India’s approach to trade partnerships has been “totally transformed,” Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a press briefing following the signing of the CEPA with Oman, which Indian officials aim to enter into force in three months.
“Now we don’t do FTAs with other developing nations; our focus is on the developed world, with whom we don’t compete,” he said. “We complement and therefore open up huge opportunities for our industry, for our manufactured goods, for our services.”
