THOUSANDS of people have been rendered homeless in several coastal upazilas of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bhola districts as cyclone Roanu has left the trail of devastation on Saturday. These people need immediate help to rebuild their homes and start a new life. But it appears that enough assistance is not reaching the people who are suffering from shortage of food and drinking water. People also need health support from water-borne diseases; which may be the biggest threat to public health. We call upon the concerned authorities to take quick steps to mitigate the sufferings of the homeless people. Media report on Tuesday quoted around one lakh houses to have been damaged and over one lakh fifty thousand families affected by the cyclonic storm and tidal surge of water into the mainland destroying coastal embankments in those areas. People on return home from cyclone shelters found their houses razed to the ground, belongings gone, crops ruined and fish farms washed away. It appears that Banskhali Upazila in Chittagong is among the worst affected areas. Many people in Noakhali, Luxmipur and Patuakhali were severely hit and their homes and properties destroyed, although death casualties were limited this time. Most people are still staying in Red Crescent shelters and we believe rehabilitation assistance must reach people without being lost in the distribution process. Dishonest people, opportunists and rent seekers must not have their hands in it. What appears to be the biggest threat to people’s safety is a 30 km break in coastal embankments that needs quick repair in Banskhali Upazila. People fear more miseries during the upcoming rainy season if the damages were not sealed. The 130 km embankment has been damaged at many other points and the poor condition of the embankment has been blamed to poor maintenance that left it vulnerable to collapse from tidal surge. It is not pardonable that a fund of Tk 235 crore is left unutilized to rebuild coastal dam in Banskhali Upazila when the contractor is bargaining for higher rates and may be waiting for rainy season to start the earthwork; which allows ghost billing. We believe that the concerned government agencies must take quick steps to start the rebuilding of the embankment and also will make sure that the money is being properly used.
