FISHERIES and local infrastructure suffered heavy damages in Khulna and Bagerhat districts from Cyclone Yaas which affected Sundarbans and adjoining area on Thursday although its main thrust was on the Indian coasts of Odisha and West Bengal, media report said. Officials confirmed that around 4,470 fish enclosures and over 400 ponds in Bagerhat have been inundated by tidal surge. Besides about a hundred villages have been inundated and embankments at many places washed away. The losses have initially been estimated at about 50 crore and fish farmers count major part of the losses.
We feel relieved that cyclone Yaas has not directly hit Bangladesh but the poor fish farmers who were devastated and their fish stock washed away need urgent assistance to rebuild and rehabilitate their homes and business when tidal water recedes. Affected people need food and cash. They look weird and abandoned and we would suggest special allocation be provided to the affected people.
Local people complained that the coastal embankments built by the water development board were faulty and fragile at many places and lacked proper maintenance. Corruption at the Water Development Board is overwhelming. Most maintenance funds are allegedly grabbed by contractors and local officials leaving people vulnerable to disasters. Embankments gave in as tidal surge hit, flooding vast swaths of land washing away homes, fisheries and livestock. People rightly wonder why the water development board is not developing strong sustainable embankments and not properly maintaining the existing ones.
What is shocking is that the inundated village people were left to repair breaches in embankments themselves against gushing water. They now fear new breaches in the embankments. In Bagerhat tidal surge inundated 50 villages. The presence of government officials to help them with men and materials in their fight is thin, media reports said.
The cyclone affected people need timely support and assistance to recuperate their loss. To make this possible the government should make a fair assessment of the losses they have suffered.
