14pc of low-income people do not have food: Survey

Low-income people of the country are suffering great losses in their earnings since the enforcement of social distancing and lockdowns to fight the novel coronavirus.

Extreme poverty has risen 60 percentage points than before, while 14 per cent people do not have any food at home. 

On the other hand, 36 per cent people do not have any clear idea about the measures to be taken to prevent COVID-19. Most of them do not have any idea about the message that one should not directly go to any health facility with the symptoms of infection (fever, cough and breathing problem).

53 per cent respondents said they would suggest neighbours with these symptoms to go to an urban hospital or public healthcare centre. Only 29 per cent said they would ask the patient to call on helpline.

This picture of economic impact and disease perception came through a countrywide perception survey conducted by BRAC. A total of 2,675 respondents from low-income background in all 64 districts participated in the survey carried out from March 31 to April 5.

BRAC's Advocacy for Social Change programme conducted the survey with assistance from other programmes namely Microfinance, Urban Development programme and Partnership Strengthening Unit.

Based on the scenario drawn through a survey, a number of recommendations have also been made, including the following ones.

Focused large-scale awareness campaigns on prevention, management and treatment should run on TV and social media.

Food assistance must be immediately reached to the millions of households across the country suffering from acute food shortage. Otherwise, they will be compelled to leave home to find their living in violation of the social distancing measures, increasing the risk of spreading corona infection.

People who have returned to villages from urban centres are not enrolled in any social safety net programmes and so needs proper delivery mechanisms to get food aid immediately.

Special attention is needed to keep the agricultural value chain from stalling. Plummeting prices of agricultural products and costly transportation cost can increase rural poverty and create social unrest.

The harvesting of ‘Boro’ rice will start mid-April and will continue until the end of May. Advance purchase of crops by the government can ensure the required money for the farmers to start the harvesting. Plans and mechanisms should be devised to financially assist the rural businesses to recover loss and be operative again. 

Some of the other noteworthy data and information derived from the survey are as follows: 

Impact on earning and food security 

The impact of reduction in earning is catastrophic for the communities surveyed. Before the pandemic started, the per capita income of 24 per cent of the respondents were below the national lower poverty line, and 35 per cent were below the national upper poverty line. Following the loss of income, the same share has increased to 84 per cent and 89 per cent respectively. It means 89 per cent of the respondents now live in extreme poverty. It also means the incidence of extreme poverty has risen by 60 percentage points and poverty by 54 percentage points among the respondents.

The average household income of the 2,675 respondents was Tk 14,599 before the COVID19 epidemic. Of them, 93 per cent of the respondents reported a decline in income due to the outbreak. During March 2020, their average income stood at Tk 3,742, which represents an average 75 per cent decline from their family income of last month. People in Chattagram (84 per cent), Rangpur (81 per cent) and Sylhet (80 per cent) divisions reported higher decline in income.

Due to the public holiday and lockdowns to enforce social distancing measures 72 per cent reported job-loss or reduced work opportunities. 8 per cent of the respondents, who are still employed, have not received their payment.

Those engaged in non-agricultural wage labour experienced more loss of income (77 per cent) than the wage labourers in the agriculture sector (65 per cent). 51 per cent of rickshaw pullers, 58 per cent factory workers, 66 per cent hotel/restaurant workers, and 62 per cent day labourers in non-agricultural sectors reported their income reduced to zero in the current month. 14 per cent have no food reserved at home, while 29 per cent have 1-3 days’ food reserved. 

Awareness of the disease 

99.6 per cent of the respondents have heard about the disease, and 66 per cent have first heard about it from television. Only 40 per cent of the respondents mentioned isolation/quarantine as a possible treatment option. Men are more informed (60 per cent) about whom to contact or what to do if one gets infected by coronavirus compared to women (38 per cent). 48 per cent of the respondents think that government hospitals do not treat COVID19 patients. 9 per cent had no idea what to do if anyone contract the disease. 

Reaction on the public response 

68 per cent of the people supported the government measure, that is, declaration of the public holiday to prevent the spread of COVID19. Only about 7.0 per cent disagreed. There is a general agreement among the respondents that the government may increase the public holiday by on an average of 22 days. Majority (64 per cent) respondents believed that the holiday might increase by more than 14 days. 

The majority (64 per cent) of the respondents felt that the government is doing enough to tackle the epidemic, though 31 per cent in rural areas and 40 per cent of respondents in urban areas disagreed. Only 4.0 per cent of the respondents have received any emergency relief support as of 5 April 2020. 

47 per cent of the respondents preferred food aid, while 20 per cent wanted cash support. Rural respondents are more interested in receiving food (50 per cent in Rural, 44 per cent in Urban) support. 

Coping Mechanism

36 per cent do not have any idea how they may cope with the loss of income. 23 per cent of the total respondents (38 per cent among women) hope that the government will support them in case the crisis lingers. Urban residents are more hopeful about the government support than rural inhabitants. 19 per cent of the respondents are planning to take some credit to support if the situation continues.