20 July 2020, Kurigram, Bangladesh - Md Bazedul Islam, 38, has been working at his own grocery shop at Puratan Jorgach Bazar at Chilmari upazila in Kurigram district for the last 25 years. He lives with his entire family of seven, including his parents and brother in a single house. Previously he used to live near his shop at the same location, but river erosion took away his home two years ago. Now they shifted to Natun Jorgach Bazar area. With the coronavirus pandemic already taking its toll on consumers, the recent countrywide floods have inflicted more damage to his business. ?One has to take care of his house first, then come out for grocery shopping. That is why I am facing difficulty in making ends meet. Even my own house now is knee-deep inundated with flood water. I had to rent another shop just to preserve my unsold grocery items.? In an innovative approach to dealing with the effects of severe flooding in Bangladesh, the United Nations is using the latest in data and predictive analytics to forecast the next major monsoon floods, gauge likely impacts ? and take action ? before possible disaster hits.
On 4 July a high probability of severe flooding was forecast for mid-July along the Jamuna River in Bangladesh, with one-third of the area's total population likely to be affected. That warning was the trigger for the UN to immediately release $5.2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help communities urgently prepare and protect themselves.
The money went to three participating agencies ? the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to enable them to prepare to distribute cash, livestock feed, storage drums, and hygiene, dignity and health kits.