ED: Are we prepared this time?

It is worrisome that, as soon as a period of devastating floods is coming to an end, there are indications that there is more to come, with rivers surrounding Dhaka seeing a consistent rise in its water levels, leading some to believe that, for many, this nightmare is far from over.

The floods which we witnessed this year were the worst that Bangladesh has seen in a decade, having left more than one-third of the country under water and affecting millions of people in the process, as they lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their lives, unable to protect themselves against the relentless water.

While the rivers surrounding Dhaka were seen to be rising in the last few hours, the fact that there may be flooding -- a natural phenomenon for a low riverine country like that of ours -- during the monsoon should hardly come as a surprise to anyone.

This means that these floods have become a grim annual tradition, for which the country remains completely unprepared. The people of this country suffer, and editorials are written decrying the inadequacy of the response provided by the authorities, but very little change happens in reality.

While there is no denying that the government’s response to the floods earlier in the year were commendable, it does not change the fact that, whatever our response may be, it is simply not enough.

A new round of floods is coming, and we cannot allow a repetition of the last few months to occur. So, once again, we are forced to ask: Are we prepared this time round?