The ongoing flood ravaging 28 districts of the country washed away vast cropland, large number of fish firms, and damaged road infrastructure and many educational institutions, besides affecting 5.4 million people and leaving over 1 million families waterlogged.
Although total loss caused by floods that started end-June is yet to be assessed, officials said over 5,100 educational institutions, 6,500-kilometer roads, and 90,000 fish farms along with vast cropland were destroyed.
As many as 5,113 educational institutions, including 3,913 primary schools and 1,200 high schools, were damaged in the flood-hit areas.
Reports indicated that rivers washed away or ate up schools in different districts including Shariyatpur, Nariya, Manikganj and Munsiganj with many are still under flood water.
Officials said educational institutions remain closed due to Covid-19 pandemic. Even though schools reopen students in the flood-hit areas won’t not be able to go.
Renovation work would start at damaged institutions once the flood end, said Sohel Ahmed, additional director general of the Directorate of Primary Education.
However, it is yet to assess the total damage, he added.
Besides, some 72,000 fish farmers incurred over Tk 479-crore in loss due to flood, said Azizul Haque, deputy director of the Fisheries department.
According to the Fisheries officials, flood washed away over 31,000 tonne of fish and fry from more than 91,000 fish farms across the country.
President of Bangladesh Fish Hatchery and Farm Owners Association Sazzad Hosssain said, 80 percent of fish farms were damaged in flood-hit areas which covered 40 per cent of the country at the peak of the flood.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s leading inland fishing producers with 43 lakh tonnes produced a year, over half of it supplied through cultured fish, he added.
Flood also damaged 6,500 kilometer of roads in 28 districts, what the authorities concerned estimated would cost over Tk 1.6 billion to restore and repair.
Officials fear that damages as well as repairing cost would increase, if floods prolong.
According to the officials concerned, about 460 kilometers of national and regional highways and district roads under the RHD faced damage caused by floods.
While over 6,000 kilometers of roads and 15 kilometres of bridges and culverts under the LGED were damaged by floods.
Currently, there are 22,362.821 kilometers of national and regional highways and district roads under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and there are 353,353.45 kilometers of roads in upazila, union and village level under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).
The RHD sought, however, sought Tk 291.35 crore and the LGED asked for Tk 1,532.78 crore from the government to repair the damaged roads, bridges and culverts, officials said.
