State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit on Wednesday said the government is making its highest effort to ease the suffering of people affected by heavy rainfall and flash floods in Bandarban.

Speaking to reporters after distributing relief among flood victims at Amtali Para in Bandarban municipality, the state minister said the government would stand by all affected people.

“No one affected by the disaster will be abandoned. Whether they are indigenous people, Bengalis or members of any other community, everyone has suffered equally. There will be no discrimination, and the government is working with utmost sincerity to reduce their hardship,” he said.

Amit said he visited Bandarban on the instructions of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to assess the situation and oversee relief efforts.

He said local lawmaker Saching Pru Jerry, the district administration, police and other government agencies have been carrying out rescue, relief and rehabilitation activities since the first day of the flooding.

Cooked meals are being provided to people staying at flood shelters, while dry food is being distributed to those outside the shelters and medical teams are also providing healthcare services to affected residents, he said .

He said the government would launch food assistance and food-friendly programmes within the next few days to enable flood victims to purchase essential commodities at subsidised prices, easing their financial burden.

Amit also said the government would gradually repair or rebuild houses damaged or destroyed by the floods so that affected families could return home and resume normal life as quickly as possible.

Referring to the post-flood situation, he said receding water has left many areas covered with mud and waste, creating unhealthy conditions.

He said coordinated clean-up operations involving the local administration, municipality, elected representatives and political activists would be launched to minimise the risk of disease outbreaks and restore affected areas to a habitable condition.