UK provides £450,000 aid for flood-hit Bangladesh

THE UK government has announced an additional £450,000 in humanitarian assistance to support over 36,000 people affected by severe flooding in eastern Bangladesh.

This aid is in response to the ongoing crisis, where more than five million people have been impacted.

The new funding supplements an initial £33,000 released on 26 August, bringing the total UK support for disaster preparedness and response in Bangladesh this year to over £1.5 million.

The aid will focus on seven of the most severely affected districts: Feni, Cumilla, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Moulvibazar, Khagrachari, and Chattogram.

The UK’s support will be managed by Start Fund Bangladesh, implemented by local NGOs, and will provide food, cash transfers, clean water, and sanitation supplies to the affected population.

Additionally, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will manage the provision of emergency maternal, newborn, and reproductive health services to 4,500 women and adolescent girls, including the operation of 30 mobile medical camps.

British high commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, stated, "The UK government stands beside all of those affected by the current flooding in eastern Bangladesh. This new funding will provide vital supplies and services to over 36,000 people, complementing ongoing responses by the interim government, civil society, and local communities."

The UK's assistance is part of a broader effort to increase Bangladesh’s resilience to climate change, building on earlier responses to Cyclone Remal and other natural disasters in the country.