How the plight of flood-affected hill districts go unnoticed
While districts like Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali received extensive coverage during the flood, the news coverage for the hill districts was markedly different, leading to little relief efforts in those areas
As Dhaka University student Samiul Haque Sami and his varsity mates were conducting a relief operation by boat through the flooded, remote village of Baghaichhari Upazila in Rangamati on 4 September, they were struck by a haunting sight.
From the doorway of a house, which stood like an isolated island surrounded by endless water, a small child peered out. There was an expression of profound despair in the child's eyes.
"It was a heartbreaking sight," said Sami. "And this was what awaited us at the doorstep of nearly every house in the village."
What shocked Sami and his team even more was learning that, despite this being the fourth flood to hit the region this year, and with residents stranded in water for over 10 days during the most recent one, theirs was the first relief team to arrive and offer assistance.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"We wondered why no one had come to this village before us, as they were just as affected as the people in other districts," he said with regret.
Md Adnan Hossain, executive director of It's Humanity Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on the wellbeing of the underprivileged, shared a similar experience.
As part of his organisation's relief operations during the most recent flood, he visited all the key affected areas in the country, including Cumilla, Noakhali, Feni, and Khagrachari.
To him, Khagrachari appeared to be one of the most severely affected areas, as the lower-lying regions below the hills had seen everything from household items to straw, thatched roofs, and livestock washed away.
While he observed many groups working on relief operations in other districts, he saw hardly any organisations operating in Khagrachari.
"When I went there, I perhaps came across only one or two organisations working in that region," shared Adnan.
This reflects the harsh reality of our country, where it still seems that, like in Animal Farm, all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Ironically, this comes just a month after the Anti-Discrimination Movement that toppled Sheikh Hasina's 16-year despotic regime.
"Abolishing discrimination is not easy. It requires a long struggle," said Rafij Khan, vice president of the Genesis Foundation, a social service organisation.
"How much attention have the floods in Khagrachari and Rangamati received compared to those in Cumilla and Feni? Many people aren't even aware that the hill districts have been facing flooding," Rafij added.
But why exactly were the hill districts given comparatively less attention and subsequently received far less assistance than the other districts?
It seems that mainstream media played a significant role in this disparity. Many people complained on social media that while districts like Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali received extensive coverage during the peak of the flood, garnering widespread sympathy, the news coverage for the hill districts was markedly different.
According to many, rather than focusing on the people living in the hill districts—whether they are from ethnic minority communities or Bangali settlers—the news coverage predominantly centred on the tourists visiting those areas.
For example, a viral Facebook post compared the news coverage of the floods in Sajek and Feni.
In their news coverage, an online portal titled their report on Feni, 'Floods submerge over a hundred villages in Feni, affecting hundreds of thousands', while their report on Sajek was titled, 'Roads submerged in Sajek, over a hundred tourists stranded.'
Similarly, social media was flooded with photos and videos of the plainland districts only, leading people from Dhaka and other parts of the country to rush to those areas while turning a blind eye to the hill districts.
According to Adnan, most people in this country rush to do relief work out of momentary impulse or enthusiasm but lack commitment to sustained effort. They typically focus on easily accessible areas for relief and often do not venture into the more challenging parts of affected plainland districts, let alone the hill districts.
"As a result, these easily accessible areas have received all the media coverage, leading to some people getting excessive amounts of relief aid, while the majority of those in need have received close to nothing," he explained.
He opines that relief organisations should not operate in such a disorganised manner. Instead, they should compile lists to identify the most affected areas and focus their efforts there. This task cannot be accomplished alone; it requires coordination with everyone, including district administrators, the army, and the police.
Rupaiya Shrestha Tanchangya, a Dhaka University student and member of the Jumma Students Family, described the challenges of reaching flood-affected areas in the hilly regions of Rangamati and Khagrachari.
"For example, reaching the flood-affected areas of Rangamati Upazila from the main town is difficult. It is somewhat easier to access these areas via Khagrachari district, but that route is very rugged and challenging. So, travelling from Dhaka to these areas can take up to 12-14 hours, and sometimes even longer if the weather is poor," she said.
Additionally, travellers must pass through three or four army checkpoints along the way, where they are subjected to numerous questions and sometimes even borderline harassment. No driver of Chander Gari (local vehicle) is willing to navigate those roads after dark either.
Sami added that there are many hilly, flood-affected areas in Khagrachari and Rangamati that have never been visited by any Bangladeshis. As a result, even after this year's series of devastating floods, no help has reached these areas.
Shrestha further highlighted another significant issue: many flood-affected areas in Rangamati and Khagrachari are not only difficult to reach due to the terrain but also suffer from very poor mobile network coverage. While Teletalk may have some coverage, other operators have none.
"As a result, when these areas are hit by floods or other natural disasters, they cannot easily communicate their plight to the outside world through phone calls or the internet," Shrestha said.
Consequently, the suffering of people in these areas remains unknown to those in Dhaka and the rest of the country. As it appears, only the distress of those with well-documented hardships in the media receives attention, but the struggles of others go unnoticed.
