RIYADH, 9 August 2007 — The Bangladeshi government has appealed to Bangladeshis, Saudis and expatriates living in the Kingdom to send aid and relief supplies to Dhaka to help millions of people affected by ongoing floods.
Ikramul Haq, Bangladeshi ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the contributions should be remitted directly to the government’s account. He clarified that the Bangladeshi Embassy and the consulate in Jeddah would not directly receive donations.
Floods in Bangladesh have killed scores so far and more than one million houses have been damaged. The Third World country, which is prone to floods, has not received any assistance from Gulf states so far. The Kingdom has previously extended help on several occasions. Following a SR400 million donation by the late King Fahd, some 300 cyclone and flood centers have been constructed in Dhaka. For a number of years, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) has been supporting infrastructure projects.
Referring to the pathetic situation in Bangladesh and immediate need for relief supplies, an embassy statement said: “The floods have caused unprecedented damage to lives and properties.” Medical experts have warned about waterborne diseases that could affect millions of people stranded in low-lying areas of the country.
“Since the flood is continuing unabated, the Bangladesh government is yet to make a final assessment of the magnitude of damage and type of possible assistance required for affected people... Hence, Dhaka welcomes voluntary contributions from the Bangladeshi community abroad and foreigners in cash only,” said the embassy statement.
Dhaka also seeks support in the form of cash, food items, water purification tablets and purification machines from foreign governments and institutions. The help is urgently required because some 40 percent of the country is still under water and the monsoon has a long way to go.
According to a report published recently, most deaths were caused by drowning in rivers in the northern hinterlands where more than 3,000 villages have been cut off for over two weeks.
All contributions should be directly sent to “Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund, Current A/C No 33004093, Sonali Bank, PM’s Office Branch, Tejgaon, Dhaka.” Non-cash donations should be sent at the cost of the donor himself.
The embassy said cash donations may be made in the form of bank drafts, tele-transfers, electronic fund transfers and express remittance. In cases of fund transfers, the embassy or the consulate should be informed for record keeping only.
