Are we neglecting the flood victims in the north? 

Mahir Uddin, a resident of flood-affected Gaibandha district, received only a meagre relief package of two kilograms of rice, some lentils, oil and a few other essentials to survive the latest flood. 

But the recurring floods in his area were not just leaving him and others hungry—they were destroying their homes.

"From erosion to inundation, we often lose our houses. We don't receive any financial support, so whatever we earn throughout the year is never enough to cover the flood damage. We are always in debt, as people hardly care about our suffering," he said.

Ever since floodwaters began inundating the lower parts of various northern districts in Bangladesh, many have taken to social media, pointing out that northern floods don't receive the same national attention as those in the south.

During the recent devastating floods in southern districts like Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali, over 70 people lost their lives. The entire country came together, raising crores of funds through various volunteer organisations, leading to a widespread relief effort. 

The Southern floods dominated both social and news media.

However, Mujibur Rahman, a resident of Phulchari in Gaibandha, noted that while people are quick to respond to floods in the southern region, the frequent floods that occur every year in northern districts like Gaibandha, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat often go 'unnoticed.'

"I think it's because most of the people belong to the low-income group. This area is always neglected in every way," he said.

"The floods of the poor are not seen as real floods, and their cries go unheard. People in places like Feni and Noakhali are wealthier, so when their homes are submerged, it pulls at people's hearts. But here in the north, even if we drown, it's as if no one notices."

Tuhin Wadud, a faculty member at Begum Rokeya University and Director of Riverine People

What is the real picture? 

Arifa Jahan Bithi, former cricketer and current manager of the Rangpur division women's cricket team, has long been working as a volunteer in emergencies. Although she is based in the north, she has worked both in southern and northern flood-hit areas. 

She told TBS last week that the water has mostly receded from the inundated parts in the north. However, the flood that paralysed Sherpur, another northern district this week, has already claimed two lives and locals are urging for help as flash floods have inundated more than a hundred villages. 

"The damage is immense. Houses, livestock, furniture—all are damaged, and agriculture is heavily affected. People haven't yet recovered from the severe flood in July and this new flood is simply too much for them," said Arifa. 

She said that despite floods affecting the northern people regularly, they don't receive adequate help. "Those of us living in the north know the reality. When we volunteer to take 200–300 aid packages, 700–800 families line up—what can we do in such a situation?" she said. 

She continued, "During the last floods, when Sylhet was affected, Kurigram also suffered but the attention Sylhet received was far greater. We worked in Sylhet and had to bring back relief from there." 

She added that adequate food and relief hardly reach northern districts like Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, let alone other types of assistance. "We saw the entire country rallying for Feni and the latest southern floods, but we don't see that kind of concern for northern floods."  

She blamed a 'weaker' local leadership for the lack of national attention to their regular predicament and starvation of the poor. 

Faisal Ahmed, a coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination, DU unit, agreed with Arifa on leadership's failure in this regard. "Fewer people from the northern region are in Dhaka, and due to the distance, connectivity between Dhaka and the north is weaker. Chattogram is also far from Dhaka, but its connectivity is stronger. That could also be a reason," he opined. 

"However, we are sending relief to the north. We are here to address this discrimination, and we will work to overcome it," he said.  

A divided view on discrimination

Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner HM Raqib Haider believes that the people of the north have been out of focus. He admitted there are limitations on government allocations for floods or natural disasters. 

The DC said that they got TK13 lakh cash and 90 metric tons of rice after the increase in Teesta water. "We may not receive what we ask, but the needs can be met," he said. 

However, he wouldn't look at the sufferings of the northern and southern people through the same lens.  

"The comparison wouldn't be right," Rakib said. "Unlike the south, the water in the north recedes quickly. But here, people are poor. There is no industry in the northern district of Lalmonirhat. People here do not need help with rice and pulses, they need employment." 

Gawher Nayeem Wahra, a disaster risk reduction and management specialist, said last week that the flood this time around was "temporary" and the water was already receding [from Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha areas]. 

"I don't believe there's any discriminatory treatment here… it is not like people are starving there. However, the Deputy Commissioners and relief officers aren't working as effectively as they used to," he told TBS. 

Who is given more priority? 

Mijanur Rahman, director of the disaster response team of the Red Crescent Society, said as an auxiliary force to the government, his organisation works with neutrality. 

"We have a project for unconditional multipurpose cash grant, which provides each family with Tk6,000 to meet their needs. Around 30,000 families including the ones in northern districts are receiving this cash grant. This region is not neglected in our interventions," he said. 

However, Mijanur said that there is an issue of priority at play. 

"For instance, if one area has 500,000 affected people and another has 200,000, we prioritise the area with more damage. More assistance is sent there, but there's no discrimination in Red Crescent's response," he said. 

However, a sense of discrimination persists among the northern people in the disaster response to the Teesta-Brahmaputra basin. 

Tuhin Wadud, a faculty member at Begum Rokeya University and Director of Riverine People, told TBS that poverty in the northern region plays a significant role in the overall neglect towards disasters in the area.

"The floods of the poor are not seen as real floods, and their cries go unheard. People in places like Feni and Noakhali are wealthier, so when their homes are submerged, it pulls at people's hearts. But here in the north, even if we drown, it's as if no one notices. We're just seen as poor people. Simply put, there's no one here to raise their voice—either privately or at the government level," Wadud said.

Development Communication Specialist Golam Ehsanul Habib said that people in the northern region tend to be reserved and fall behind in making demands because there is a lack of strong leadership to advocate for them at the grassroots level. 

He also noted that local government representatives and administrators are indifferent when it comes to relief and rehabilitation efforts, despite focusing on other development issues.