Still suffering

In September, the Disaster and Emergency Response (DER) Group made its second assessment of the needs of the affected communities in the most severely flooded districts of Bangladesh. It was a comprehensive and in-depth assessment, compiled by a team of about 80 field staff from 17 UN agencies and leading national and international NGOs. They used a mix of techniques, including focused group discussion and key info- rmant interviews, to get an accurate and detailed picture of the needs. The importance of the report lies in its conclusion, which is that the majority of the needs are unmet. There are rice fields which will not be seeded, children who will not go to school, women and children who will not get the medication they need. The hardship is far from over.

All this echoes the statement by WFP Executive Director's (James Morris) on the World Food Day this year that it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed the hungry of the world and to reach out to people affected by tragedies less dramatic than the one unfolding in Darfur.

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True, in Bangladesh people are not dying of starvation or forced to live in squalid camps, although initially millions had to take refuge in the flood shelters. But we have got to ask ourselves, what should people expect from their governments and from the world community? Should life be a struggle to get potable water, a secure roof and four walls, their children back in schools? How does one define crisis and suffering? Do we want a world where the suffering and needs are calculated only in terms of deaths from hunger?

The range of 'coping' strategies of Bangladeshis has been cited in many seminars, reports and speeches. The question again for us is -- are we justified in leaving these people to their fate because we have assessed that they are coping? Yes they have managed to stay alive. But at what cost? They have not managed to secure their earning capacity to buy food or pay for the health needs, or stave off deepening debt. The headline news is that millions of vulnerable people have been pushed deeper into poverty. That's not very successful coping! All the agencies working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals must sit up and take note of the probable impact of these floods and similar disasters on Bangladesh's progress towards the goals.

So far Bangladesh has failed to get the appropriate support from the international community, many representatives of which have offices in Dhaka. This cannot be only because of Darfur competing for aid. The global community should be capable of responding to simultaneous natural disasters and humanitarian crises. The poor response could partly be explained by the varying needs and concerns expressed by the government, the UN and other agencies, creating confusion among the donor community. The media too, at times, by overplaying the tragedy, may have contributed to the myth that the effects were less severe.

We should be more concerned about the flood's impact on communities -- especially the poorest -- than about quantifying the total damage to the infrastructure and economy. We have to look beyond the statistics -- at real people, especially the most vulnerable women and children. The DER report helps us to do that.

(The DER Post-Floods Needs Assessment Report is available online at www.lcgbangladesh.org).

Douglas Casson Coutts is WFP Representative, Bangladesh.