WE believe, given the latest information, the flood situation seems to be unfolding rather rapidly in the country. We should face the facts squarely that large areas under Netrakona, Pabna, Rangpur, Faridpur and Khulna districts are getting inundated as water level of the Padma, the Jamuna and the Teesta is rising steadily. Already 10,000 people have been affected in Faridpur and hundreds of acres of cropland have gone under water. In Khulna district a number of embankments have been washed away by floodwater thereby rendering hundreds of people homeless. The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) has warned that flooding of low-lying areas in Munshiganj, Manikganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Dohar and Nawabganj of Dhaka district is likely to continue. At the same time, the water level of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna is likely to start rising again after dropping off for two days. It is an established fact that flood is a yearly phenomenon in this country but some floods turn out to be more menacing than others. Therefore, no way can we sit around and watch from the distance, as water level will go up. The situation is aggravated by the intermittent rainfall and cascading water from the hilly areas on the other side of the border. Since the rainy season is expected to continue till September, we apprehend floods might take a turn for the worse in the coming weeks. While hoping for the best, we must at least be prepared for the worst. The district authorities need to come out of the denial mode about the imminent threat of flooding. Once the reality is faced in its true perspective, appropriate measures will follow in terms of evacuation of marooned families from near the embankments or riverbanks. At the same time shelter houses need to be made ready with food, medicines, clothes and emergency healthcare. The government should allow itself sufficient lead time to formulate an effective operational strategy and act accordingly to provide succour to the flood affected people. We also urge the water resources ministry, or for that matter, the meteorological authority to place flood forecasting mechanism on a stronger footing in coordination with neighbouring countries so that we are in a better position to effectively analyse flood trends and calibrate our responses accordingly.