Call for coordinated efforts to tackle floods, multiple decisions taken at inter-ministerial meeting

He chaired the meeting held on Tuesday (14 July) at the Cabinet Division meeting room in the Secretariat.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Local Government Minister said that in the current situation, there is no alternative to coordinated initiatives to reduce the suffering of the people. Each relevant ministry and agency must perform their respective duties properly to deliver services and assistance to the affected people quickly.

He said that utmost importance must be given to rescue operations, relief distribution, healthcare, supply of clean water, and restoration of damaged infrastructure.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said in the meeting that the government is working comprehensively to tackle the flood situation under the direction of the Prime Minister. Emphasizing transparency and accountability in relief distribution, he said that relief must reach the actual affected people without any irregularities.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that an accurate database of the affected people must be prepared so that relief operations can be conducted more systematically and effectively. He also stressed the importance of keeping the supply chain and communication infrastructure operational.

Several important decisions were taken in the meeting regarding post-flood rehabilitation and damage mitigation. According to the decisions, all departments involved in disaster management will implement their respective action plans. After the water recedes, the actual damage will be assessed, and food assistance programs will be conducted.

Additionally, field-level officials have been instructed to work actively to overcome losses in the agricultural sector. Decisions were also made to distribute new seeds among affected farmers, ensure the supply of clean water in flood-hit areas, and strengthen healthcare services to prevent diseases.

It was further decided in the meeting that damaged roads under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) will be repaired quickly. At the same time, necessary measures will be taken to quickly restore damaged highways and important road communications under the Roads and Highways Department and relevant agencies.

According to government sources, the relevant ministries and agencies will continue rescue, relief, healthcare, and rehabilitation efforts in a coordinated manner until the flood situation returns to normal.