Rains spell panic in coastal areas

Intermittent rainfall accompanied by squally wind has created panic among thousands of people of three coastal districts-- Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira--of the south-western region of the country.
These people living in the coastal belts fear disasters like cyclonic storm and tidal surge and extensive damage of their homesteads, fish farms and crops.
Water Development Board (WDB), Khulna office sources said that 62 kilometre embankments covering these three districts are likely to collapse if tidal surges caused by heavy downpour continue for some days. The collapse of embankments may also create saline water-logging in almost all upazilas of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts, WDB sources said.
Md Amirul Azad, officer-in-charge of Khulna Met office, told ‘The Independent’ over cell phone that they recorded 55 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours continuing from Thursday (June 25) 6:00 am till 6:00 am on Friday.
He also said that people of the coastal belts of these three districts need to be on high alert against tidal surges and cyclonic storms as hostile weather indicates.
Sheikh Asrafuzzaman, president of Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee (GKDACC), a committee floated by local people of Khulna region, said climate change had left an adverse impact on the coastal belt of the country where storms, cyclones, tidal surges, droughts, river erosion and water-logging are now common.
He referred to several storms that have already battered the area recently, like Sidr on November 15, 2007 and Aila on May 25, 2009.
According to unofficial sources, Sidr claimed over 1,000 lives in Southkhali union under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district while thousands of families in the area near the Baleshwar River were rendered homeless by tidal surges.
Besides, at least 190 people were killed in Gabura and Padmapukur union of Satkhira district and Dacope and Koyra upazila of Khulna, 4 lakh people became homeless, 237 km embankments were completely and 1557 km were partially damaged, crops on 3.23 lakh acres of land were damaged when the Aila hit the coastal areas in the country.
Bhutiar Beel under Terokhada upazila of Khulna district was once upon a time main source of earning livelihood of thousands of people of 50 villages.  But water-logging causes damage to crops worth Tk 100 crore every year.
As a result, people who were so long dependant on Bhutiar Beel have become jobless.
It is learnt that over 37,000 farmers have changed their profession as day labourers.
Last year, torrential rains flooded Dumuria, Rupsha, Terokhada, Dakope, Paikgachha and Koyra upazilas of Khulna district; Tala, Kalaroa, Debhata, Kaliganj, Ashasuni and Shyamnagar upazilas of Satkhira district; Morelganj, Mongla, Sharonkhola, Rampal, Kachuya and Chitalmari upazilas of Bagerhat district.
Over one lakh flood affected people were rendered homeless.
Besides, flood water damaged over one lakh homesteads and two hundred academic institutions of these three districts.

Rains spell panic in coastal areas

Intermittent rainfall accompanied by squally wind has created panic among thousands of people of three coastal districts-- Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira--of the south-western region of the country. These people living in the coastal belts fear disasters like cyclonic storm and tidal surge and extensive damage of their homesteads, fish farms and crops. Water Development Board (WDB), Khulna office sources said that 62 kilometre embankments covering these three districts are likely to collapse if tidal surges caused by heavy downpour continue for some days. The collapse of embankments may also create saline water-logging in almost all upazilas of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat districts, WDB sources said. Md Amirul Azad, officer-in-charge of Khulna Met office, told The Independent over cell phone that they recorded 55 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours continuing from Thursday (June 25) 6:00 am till 6:00 am on Friday. He also said that people of the coastal belts of these three districts need to be on high alert against tidal surges and cyclonic storms as hostile weather indicates. Sheikh Asrafuzzaman, president of Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee (GKDACC), a committee floated by local people of Khulna region, said climate change had left an adverse impact on the coastal belt of the country where storms, cyclones, tidal surges, droughts, river erosion and water-logging are now common. He referred to several storms that have already battered the area recently, like Sidr on November 15, 2007 and Aila on May 25, 2009. According to unofficial sources, Sidr claimed over 1,000 lives in Southkhali union under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district while thousands of families in the area near the Baleshwar River were rendered homeless by tidal surges. Besides, at least 190 people were killed in Gabura and Padmapukur union of Satkhira district and Dacope and Koyra upazila of Khulna, 4 lakh people became homeless, 237 km embankments were completely and 1557 km were partially damaged, crops on 3.23 lakh acres of land were damaged when the Aila hit the coastal areas in the country. Bhutiar Beel under Terokhada upazila of Khulna district was once upon a time main source of earning livelihood of thousands of people of 50 villages. But water-logging causes damage to crops worth Tk 100 crore every year. As a result, people who were so long dependant on Bhutiar Beel have become jobless. It is learnt that over 37,000 farmers have changed their profession as day labourers. Last year, torrential rains flooded Dumuria, Rupsha, Terokhada, Dakope, Paikgachha and Koyra upazilas of Khulna district; Tala, Kalaroa, Debhata, Kaliganj, Ashasuni and Shyamnagar upazilas of Satkhira district; Morelganj, Mongla, Sharonkhola, Rampal, Kachuya and Chitalmari upazilas of Bagerhat district. Over one lakh flood affected people were rendered homeless. Besides, flood water damaged over one lakh homesteads and two hundred academic institutions of these three districts.