Four Years into Super Cyclone Sidr
Ballad of woes remains unchanged
Trail of devastations left by super cyclone Sidr in worst-hit Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district on November 15, 2007. Inset, this Sidr-damaged sluice gate at Piprakhali in Mirzaganj upazila of Patuakhali district has yet to be repaired four years after the natural disaster that ravaged southern districts.Photo: File Photo
Four years after the onslaught of super cyclone Sidr in large areas of southern region, the recovery programmes in the affected areas seem far less than required. People of worst-hit Sharankhola upazila in Bagerhat district are yet to see construction of Sharankhola Town Protection Embankment, reports our staff correspondent from Khulna. Despite repeated assurance for redressing their sufferings, the Sidr-hit people of the area have got very little effective steps by the government and non-government organisations (NGO's) and donor agencies. During the onslaught of Sidr on November 15 in 2007, 25 to 30 feet high tidal surges from Baleswar River swept over Sharankhola upazila, destroying most of the embankments, educational institutions, homesteads and what not. Over a thousand of business enterprises, three commercial banks, warehouses for food grains and fertilisers, five ice factories, a private owned hospital, a post office and a telephone exchange office in Sharankhola upazila were badly damaged by Sidr. Loss from economic point of view caused by Sidr was unofficially estimated to be over Taka 6,000 crore. Leaders of Sharankhola Town Protection Movement Committee submitted memorandums several times to the present government in demand of construction of a three-kilometre long embankment. Government is committed to implementing the Tk 90 crore project for construction of a sustainable town protection embankment at Sharankhola very soon, said local lawmaker Dr Mozammel Hossain, also chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for the Ministry of Social Welfare. Our Patuakhali correspondent reports: Four hundred and seventeen kilometres of flood control embankments damaged by super cyclone Sidr in seven upazilas under the district have not been repaired in four years. Many damaged sluice gates have also remained inoperative. As a result, over three lakh people and about one lakh hectares of agricultural land in Patuakhali district are still under threat of flooding. A total 834 km out of 1209 km flood control embankments in Patuakhali district got damaged in Sidr, said sources of Water Development Board (WDB) in Patuakhali Circle office. Besides, 355 out of 412 sluice gates, 612 inlets, 362-irrigation scheme, 24 closures also damaged in the seven upazilas in the district. Of the damaged embankments, 534 km in Patuakhali Circle and the rest 300 km under Kalapara Circle of WDB. The WDB sources said 167 km under Patuakhali Circle and 250 km under Kalapara Circle have been repaired in four years. Abdul Haque, a farmer of Piprakhali village under Mirzaganj upazila, said tidal surge floods their farmlands every year as Piprakhali sluice gate damaged in Sidr has not been repaired yet. "Instead of relief, we demand taking step to repair embankments so that we can cultivate our land," Shahjahan, another farmer of the same village, said. "We failed to repair all the damaged embankments and sluice gates due to insufficient allocation for the purpose. Agricultural activities are being hampered in many areas due to intrusion of salty water through the damaged parts of the embankments along the rivers," said Md Siddiqur Rahman, executive engineer for Water Development Board (WDB) in Patuakhali Circle office. Md Shafi Uddin, executive engineer of WDB Kalapara Circle, said 250 km damaged embankments under Kalapara Circle have already been repaired and repair work of remaining 50 km will be completed by June next year.
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