Feni faces uphill battle to recover and rebuild two months after floods

Flood victims claim that government support falls short of their needs

Two months after the devastating floods in late August, Pronojit Kumar Datta from Feni’s Fulgazi Upazila has yet to fully rebuild his life.

His house, reduced to rubble by surging waters in, remains unrepaired. With nowhere else to go, Pronojit and his family have sought shelter in a makeshift cowshed.

Its frail walls allow drafts to slip through, while the patched roof leaks with every drizzle, offering little protection against the elements.

Pronojit’s home in South Baroya village, Durbarpur Union, sits near an embankment.

He said, “Three of my rooms were destroyed. The army provided two bundles of corrugated iron sheets, and I received some donations from various individuals, but no substantial government aid. My family and I are surviving in the dilapidated cowshed, sharing the space with our livestock. Managing daily expenses and my children’s education is a struggle, let alone repairing our home.”

The floods that began on Aug 20 intensified rapidly within 24 hours, initially inundating Parshuram, Fulgazi, and Chhagalnaiya Upazilas before extending to Feni Sadar, Sonagazi, and Daganbhuiyan.

Feni’s district administration reported 29 deaths in the last 10 days of August, with over 1.1 million people affected and 95 percent of the district impacted, causing extensive damage across agriculture, fisheries, livestock, and housing.

Feni Deputy Commissioner Shahina Akhter said during the disaster, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief allocated 2,300 tonnes of rice, Tk 8.2 million, 6,000 packs of dry food, and Tk 1.5 million for baby food.

Official data shows that the floods destroyed 8,095 mud houses and 250 semi-pucca (half-brick) houses, causing an estimated financial loss of Tk 1.63 billion.

A further 53,433 mud houses and 2,632 semi-pucca houses were partially damaged, with an estimated loss of Tk 3.7 billion.

In total, the damage to 64,415 homes has led to losses of Tk 5.33 billion.

The district administration has requested more 20,000 bundles of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 60 million in cash from the ministry for rehabilitation. Meanwhile, non-governmental organisations, or NGOs, and private donors supporting the rehabilitation efforts are coordinating their initiatives with the administration.

Shahina said as of Oct 27, 400 bundles of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 1.2 million have been distributed. The affected families have received one bundle of corrugated iron sheets and Tk 3,000 each through Upazila executive officers.

The United Nations Development Programme, or UNDP, provided Tk 103.5 million for repairing homes in 3,000 families, while NGO IPSA contributed Tk 25.3 million.

Local volunteer Shahidul Mishu said, “‘Feni Will Rise Again’, a volunteer group, has built new homes for 13 families and assisted in repairing damaged houses.

Volunteers from different districts have come forward to help, but government assistance should have been the primary support for the affected families.”

OVER 200,000 FARMERS AFFECTED

Feni’s Department of Agricultural Extension, or DAE, said crop losses valued at Tk 5.24 billion across six Upazilas, with over 200,000 farmers severely impacted.

Abdul Khaleq, a marginal farmer from Satyanagar in Parshuram, said he had planted rice saplings on 16 decimals of land shortly before the floods. “The water didn’t just wash away my crops, it even took the soil. Now there’s nothing but sand left on my land. Despite repeated visits to the Upazila agricultural office, I’ve received no assistance.”

Local farmer Shamsul Haque expressed similar grievances, saying that despite several visits to the agricultural office, he has received no seeds, fertilisers, or cash support in the past two months.

The DAE said 30,352 hectares of cropland were damaged, constituting 79.69 percent of the district’s total farmland. This included 1,865 hectares of Aman seedbeds, 26,000 hectares of Aman rice, and 1,854 hectares of Aush rice. This season, Aman was cultivated on 38,087 hectares in Feni, but 34,077 hectares were completely destroyed, with the remainder suffering partial damage.

In addition to rice, the entire cultivation of 525 hectares of autumn vegetables, 69 hectares of fruit orchards, seven hectares of ginger, 16 hectares of turmeric, and 16 hectares of sugarcane were also damaged.

DAE Deputy Director Md Ekram Uddin said due to ongoing rains, many areas remain unsuitable for re-cultivation. However, the ministry has approved Tk 12.12 million to help farmers recover, providing free fertilisers and seeds for 12 types of crops.

Ekram said that after the Aman harvest, seeds for peas and mustard will be provided to 12,000 farmers, and 60,000 farmers will receive seeds for Boro cultivation.

He added that Tk 35.03 million has been sanctioned to support 23,000 farming families with seeds and cash for cultivating winter vegetables.

Affected farmers have begun growing winter vegetables such as red spinach, radish, beans, and pumpkins to mitigate losses.

Mizanur Rahman, a farmer from Basantapur village in Fulgazi, faced a series of setbacks when his Aman seedbeds were washed away in the initial floods.

Replanting efforts were thwarted twice by successive floods within a month and a half, damaging his crops each time.

Now, Mizanur has been able to sell some red spinach and radish, giving him a slight financial respite.

Apart from agriculture, the floods caused Tk 13.86 million in damages to nurseries and forestry. However, the Social Forestry Department has yet to launch any reforestation or tree plantation programmes in these areas.

CASH ASSISTANCE NEEDED TO RECOVER FROM DAMAGE

The Feni district administration, citing the livestock department, has reported an estimated Tk 5.75 billion in losses in the livestock and fisheries sectors due to recent flooding.

Engineer Fakhrul Islam Masuk, from Baghaiya village in Motobi Union, said his 20 poultry farms incurred over Tk 15 million in damages.

After floodwaters receded, he managed to restart eight farms through loans. Currently, his farms have 10,000 layer and Sonali chicks along with 4,500 pullet layers.

Fakhrul claims despite the urgent need for funds to accelerate operations, he has received no assistance from banks.

Kamalul Alam, general secretary of the Feni District Poultry Association, said a memorandum with six demands had been submitted to the Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Advisor Farida Akhter through the district commissioner, seeking support for flood-affected farms.

"Two months have passed since the flood, but no assistance has arrived. The poultry industry, on the brink of collapse, cannot resume production without government aid," he said.

District Livestock Officer Md Mozammel Haque said support requests have been sent to relevant departments for affected farmers.

“Some aid is expected this week. Meanwhile, certain NGOs have distributed goats, chickens, and feed to some affected farmers,” he added.

Fish farmer Fazle Imam Rocky, from Fatehpur, reported Tk 6 million in damages to his fish stock and infrastructure.

Despite applying to the Upazila Fisheries Office for aid, he claims there has been no response in two months.

"The Upazila Fisheries Office called once for information but offered no help," Rocky said.

In response, District Fisheries Officer Aminul Islam said that in October, 3.822 metric tonnes of carp fingerlings were distributed to 793 affected fish farmers in Feni Sadar, Parshuram, Sonagazi, and Fulgazi Upazilas.

"Depending on circumstances, farmers received between four and ten kilogrammes of fingerlings each,” he said.

Islam added that fingerling distribution is ongoing in other Upazilas as part of the Department of Fisheries' revenue budget.

NGOs are also supplying fingerlings to affected farmers, he said.

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO RURAL ROADS IN FULGAZI

According to data from the roads and highways department, local government engineering department, or LGED, and Bangladesh Water Development Board in Feni, flooding has caused nearly Tk 9.29 billion in damages to roads, bridges, culverts, and river embankments.

According to LGED, rural roads in Fulgazi suffered the most severe damage.

The road connecting Munshirhat in Munshirhat Union to Jagatpur and Amjadhat was heavily damaged by flooding, halting vehicle movement for days.

Abul Hashem, a 70-year-old resident of Jagatpur, said instead of rebuilding the road, repairs were made by patching up broken areas, allowing limited traffic flow.

Asked about the repairs, LGED's Executive Engineer in Feni Mahmud Al Faruk said: “The rural road maintenance work is part of regular operations.”

The Noakhali’s Feni-Sonaimuri regional highway was also impacted by the floods.

Shahjalal Bhuiyan, a teacher from Panchgachia Union, said sections from Taltola to Ghanipur were submerged, and travellers now face significant disruptions due to damaged roads.

“Even a little rain makes parts of the road impassable for both vehicles and pedestrians due to water accumulation and large potholes,” he added, noting a lack of visible repair efforts.

Binoy Kumar Pal, the roads and highways department’s executive engineer in Feni, said: “Many roads have sustained damage. Repairs are ongoing based on available funds. Approximately five kilometres of the Feni section of the Feni-Sonaimuri road has been affected.”

“A tender process for further rehabilitation of flood-damaged roads is underway, and we hope to take necessary measures soon to ease public suffering,” he added.

EDUCATION SUPPLIES SEVERELY DAMAGED IN FULGAZI FLOOD

The Feni District Secondary and Primary Education offices report Tk 390.2 million in damages across 920 educational institutions, including schools, madrasas, and colleges.

More than structural damage, the flooding has taken a significant toll on students' educational materials.

District Primary Education Officer Nasir Uddin said letters requesting new textbooks were sent two months ago, yet no books have been received.

Headteacher Ilyas Mamun of Bandua Daulatpur Government Primary School in Fulgazi said, despite Education Advisor Wahid Uddin Mahmud's announcement of Tk 700,000 for repairs, no directives from the Upazila LGED office have arrived.

“I’ve borrowed Tk 50,000 from various sources to buy school supplies, but reimbursement from the Upazila education office is still pending,” he added.

District Secondary Education Officer Md Shafiullah said they addressed book assistance needs by requesting 250,000 books after a meeting with the district commissioner.

UNICEF has since provided books in the worst-hit areas of Fulgazi and Parshuram, with plans to distribute books in other regions.

UNICEF PROVIDES MEDICAL AID AS HOSPITALS OVERWHELMED

The district administration reported Tk 61 million in damages to 10 hospitals, three clinics, and 79 community clinics.

Around Tk 1.1 billion has also been estimated for repairs to 120,490 hygienic toilets, with a further Tk 1.5 billion required for damaged tubewells.

Power infrastructure also suffered, with partial damage to 707 kilometres of transmission lines, incurring Tk 39.7 million in losses.

Fifty-four mosques were entirely destroyed, causing losses of Tk 69.1 million, while damages to 144 temples are estimated at Tk 4.52 million.

Following the flooding, diarrhoea cases surged, prompting UNICEF to set up medical tents beside the district hospital to accommodate patients left without room inside the facility.

FAMILIES OF DEAD AWAIT GOVERNMENT AID

Official reports indicate 29 fatalities in Feni, including 17 men, eight women, and four children, of whom 20 have been identified while nine were buried as unclaimed.

Most casualties occurred in Feni Sadar, with more fatalities in Fulgazi, Sonagazi, Daganbhuiyan, Chhagalnaiya, and Parshuram.

Feni DC Shahina said Tk 2 million has been requested from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to support the victims' families, who await this aid.

Following the flood, Disaster Management Advisor Faruk E Azam and others, including Information Advisor Nahid Islam and Water Resources Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan, visited affected Upazilas, pledging to assist in recovery and rehabilitation.

However, Abu Yusuf, a Parshuram resident, said: “Promises of sustainable embankments along the Muhuri, Kahua, and Silonia rivers to protect Fulgazi and Parshuram during monsoon have remained just that—promises.”

EROSION AND 'PATCHWORK REPAIRS' ON EMBANKMENT

As upstream floodwaters surged, over a hundred points of the embankment along Feni's Muhuri, Kahua, and Silonia rivers suffered breaches. Local residents report that after the water receded, the Water Development Board, or WDB, undertook repair efforts but resorted to temporary fixes, using river soil to patch the damaged areas instead of implementing permanent repairs.

Residents like MA Hasan, who lives near the river, criticised the approach, saying: "In their rush to repair the breaches, the WDB simply filled polythene bags with river sand and soil, resulting in substandard repairs that may fail again during the rainy season."

However, WDB Executive Engineer Rashed Shahriar refuted claims of makeshift repairs, saying: “The damaged sections are being permanently repaired by filling poly bags with soil and securing them with bamboo posts. If any negligence is detected, we will investigate, and contractor payments may be withheld. Most damaged sections have already been repaired.”

Meanwhile, following the floods, erosion has severely affected villages in Feni Sadar, Parshuram, and Sonagazi Upazilas. In the eastern Anantapur village near Parshuram Bazar, around forty families have faced repeated erosion.

Here, the Kahua River has altered course and merged with the Muhuri, swallowing nearly fifty acres of land over recent years.

Many families, including that of Momtaz Mia and Mofizur Rahman, are now struggling after losing their homes to the river during the recent flood.

Nur Mia, who lost his home, said: "I’ve been renting for the past two months with no income. Supporting my six-member family has become a daily struggle."

In the southern Kolapara village near the Kahua River, fifty families face imminent risk. The flood has already claimed lands, tube wells, and toilets of some families. Jashim Uddin, who lives by the river, said, “What’s left of my home could fall into the river at any moment.”

Executive Engineer Mohammad Rashed Shahriar said the WDB was unaware of erosion issues in Parshuram but said that measures would be taken swiftly after a site inspection.

The destruction of the Musapur Regulator on the Choto Feni River during the floods has led to seawater flooding new areas in Sonagazi, causing further erosion that is consuming roads and agricultural land.

In Sadar Upazila’s Chanua union, at least fifty homes along the Kalidas Pahalia riverbank in the southern Tongi Para area have been destroyed. Another hundred homes in the area remain at high risk.

Sadar Upazila Executive Officer Nazmul Hasan confirmed that the WDB has been notified to take action to prevent further erosion.

WDB Executive Engineer Shahriar added, “I have observed erosion in Nayamatpur, Tongi Para, and near Lemua Bridge in the Sadar area. A formal report has been submitted to higher authorities. We are preparing to urgently deploy geo-bags as an initial protective measure.”

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]