Rivers Receding in Bangladesh; Airport Reopens for Aid Flights

River levels were stable or receding Thursday, and the Dhaka airport reopened so relief supplies can be flown in, but distribution of aid to Bangladesh’s flood victims was slow and the death toll continued to rise.

Information Minister Mahbubur Rahman said Thursday that 510 people drowned, died of snake bites or were killed when their houses collapsed. The government health center reported 99 deaths from diarrhea caused by drinking polluted water that flooded three-quarters of Bangladesh’s 55,000 square miles.

Health center officials reported 135,537 known cases of diarrhea nationwide, an increase of 15,715 in the previous 24 hours, but that includes only areas in communication with the capital.

Officials say that about one-quarter of Bangladesh’s 110 million people are homeless because of the flooding that began with the annual monsoon in June, tapered off, then devastated the country at the end of August.

Stranded on Roofs

Many still are stranded on rooftops, in boats and on the rare patches of high ground in Bangladesh, most of which is a vast river delta. Water levels in flood areas range from a few inches to more than 10 feet.

Rahman insisted that there was no shortage of water purification tablets, but his assertion seemed questionable.

More than two dozen people interviewed at random Thursday in relief camps, flooded buildings and on rooftops in Dhaka said they had no purification tablets and were drinking water that could be dangerous.

“Most of us have fevers and headaches,” said Lily, a 17-year-old seamstress camping out at the Fair Fashion Co. factory with 10 co-workers. She said they paid 31 cents a day for about five gallons of tap water.

Can’t Afford Tablets

Lily and a co-worker, 20-year-old Shamima, said they had heard of water purification tablets, but Lily said, “No one has given us any and we don’t have enough money to buy any.”

A diplomat from a Western nation that has tried to buy water purification tablets for relief distribution reported searching in vain for sufficient quantities in Bangladesh and nearby countries. Representatives of other aid donors reported similar experiences.

Pledges of disaster aid reached a total of at least $60 million Thursday, according to figures for individual nations reported by Rahman.