Waterborne diseases are spreading rapidly across the flood-hit districts of Chattogram division amid an acute shortage of safe drinking water and the collapse of sanitation systems.
Over the past few days, hospitals in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar and the three hill districts -- Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari -- have seen a surge in patients with diarrhoea, skin infections and snakebites.
The severe flood, which began on July 8 and submerged vast areas of the region for seven consecutive days, claimed 23 lives. As floodwaters continue to recede, public health experts have warned of a second crisis unless the shortage of safe drinking water is addressed immediately.
Officials of the Department of Public Health Engineering said around 20,000 shallow tube wells across the division had been contaminated by floodwaters.
Hospitals in Satkania and Banshkhali, the two worst-hit upazilas in Chattogram, have reported a sharp rise in patients.
“My younger daughter has diarrhoea, while my wife has had severe itching and skin irritation for the past two days,” said Siddiq Ahmed, a resident of Keochia village in Satkania.
Dr Amit Dey, Satkania upazila health and family planning officer, said the hospital’s ground floor was completely submerged during the flood, but outpatient services have resumed as floodwaters receded.
“We treated over 300 patients in the past 48 hours alone, the vast majority of whom are suffering from diarrhoea,” he said, warning that the acute shortage of safe drinking water could trigger a surge in cholera, diarrhoea and skin infections.
Similarly, health officials in Banshkhali -- the second worst-hit upazila in Chattogram -- said more than 30 percent of their current patients have diarrhoea.
“With all the tube wells in our village contaminated, people have had no choice but to drink polluted water,” said Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Kokdandi village in Banshkhali.
Dr Nazma Akhter, Banshkhali upazila health and family planning officer, said the floods mostly spared the upazila hospital but devastated 15 community clinics.
“We fear the shortage of safe drinking water will trigger a major diarrhoea outbreak, especially in our coastal areas, which already face chronic freshwater scarcity,” she said, adding that the health department has sufficient stocks of essential medicines.
The crisis is also deepening in neighbouring Cox’s Bazar and the three hill districts, where health authorities remain on high alert.
Dr Mujibur Rahman, Pekua upazila health and family planning officer, said most patients treated during the peak of the floods were injured in landslides or suffered snakebites.
“Now cases of diarrhoea are rising. Our experience shows that diarrhoea and skin diseases inevitably spike as floodwaters recede. Keeping that in mind, we have made extensive medical preparations.”
Dr Md Shaheen Hossain Chowdhury, civil surgeon of Bandarban, said, “The post-flood period typically sees a surge in diarrhoea and skin infections.”
“While we have not seen a major diarrhoea outbreak yet, cases of scabies and other skin ailments are rising rapidly,” he said, adding that mobile medical teams were providing treatment on the ground and all upazila health complexes had been equipped with the necessary medicines and manpower.
Dr Fazle Rabbi, Chattogram divisional health director, said the health department was well prepared.
“Our medical teams are working on the ground. We pre-positioned essential supplies before the floods. So far, we have distributed more than 50,000 water purification tablets from a stock of 200,000, and we have ample supplies of saline and essential medicines to cope with any further rise in cases.”
