The UK government is providing an additional £450,000 (BDT 7
crores) of vital humanitarian assistance to support more than
36,000 people affected by flooding in eastern Bangladesh, where
more than five million people have been impacted.
This builds on the £33,000 (BDT 5.2 lacs) of initial emergency
funding released on Monday 26 August. It brings the UK
government's total support to disaster preparedness and response
across Bangladesh this year to over £1,500,000 (BDT 23.4 crores)
and is additional to the UK government's ongoing support to help
increase Bangladesh's resilience to climate change.
This assistance will support people in seven of the worst
affected districts: Feni, Cumilla, Noakhali, Lakshmipur,
Moulvibazar, Khagrachari and Chattogram. Some areas are facing
their most severe flooding in 40 years.
One component of this new UK support will be managed by Start
Fund Bangladesh and implemented by NGOs. This will support over
36,000 people with food, cash transfers, clean water,
sanitation and hygiene supplies.
A second component will be managed by the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA), and provide emergency maternal, newborn
and reproductive health services to 4,500 women and adolescent
girls. This includes helping to establish and run 30 mobile
medical camps, which will provide essential medicines and
healthcare.
Sarah Cooke, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, said
“The UK government stands beside all of those affected by the
current flooding in eastern Bangladesh. I am pleased to announce
the UK government is providing further humanitarian assistance to
support those impacted.
“This includes £450,000 of new funding released today (BDT 7
crores) to provide vital supplies and services to over 36,000
people. This is in addition to the UK government's responses to
Cyclone Remal and flooding earlier this year in Bangladesh, and
our broader support to increase Bangladesh's resilience to
climate change.”
“This contribution complements the active and ongoing response of
the interim government of Bangladesh, civil society and local
communities.”
Notes to editors:
- The UK government's response to the current flooding builds
on the £530,000 (BDT 8.2 crores) provided this year in Bangladesh
to support those affected by flooding in Sylhet and Cyclone
Remal.
- The UK government's response to the current flooding in
eastern Bangladesh will be managed by Start Fund Bangladesh. It
will be implemented by ASHIKA Development Associates, Center for
Natural Resource Studies (CNRS), Coastal Association for Social
Transformation (COAST) Trust, UTTARAN, ActionAid Bangladesh,
Caritas Bangladesh, Christian Aid, and Islamic Relief Bangladesh.
- The UK's ongoing support to the UN Resident Coordinator's
Office and CARE Bangladesh, totalling £495,000 (BDT 7.7 crores)
this year, is helping coordinate responses and produce needs
assessments in Bangladesh when disasters hit.
- The UK government is also working to help increase
Bangladesh's resilience to climate change. This includes ongoing
support to CARE Bangladesh, totalling £33.6m (BDT 52.4 crores)
over four years. This is working to increase climate resilience
for one million vulnerable people, including by helping to
protect and restore two Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA), the
Sundarbans Reserve Forest and Hakaluki Haor.
