Victims still haunted by nightmare

Fourteen years have passed since the devastating Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh, but survivors of Satkhira’s Tala and Bagerhat’s Sharankhola upazilas are still haunted by the nightmare that claimed hundreds of lives, and destroyed homes, cattle and crops.

The two upazilas were the most worst affected regions in the country, and those who lost their near and dear ones are still lamenting the tragic deaths. Though the lives of people have gradually gotten back to normal, they still bear the scars of the havoc caused by Sidr.

According to local sources, the families of people who went missing in the cyclone are yet to get assistance from the government. Most of the sluice gates and embankments damaged by the tropical storm have still been lying uncared for.

During a recent visit to the village Bogi of Sharankhola upazila, The Business Post found some makeshift houses on the bank of the River Boleshwar. A few families are living there. Besides, a number of multi-story cyclone centers have been constructed in the area too.

Joynob, an elderly woman in the village, said she lost her husband, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter in Sidr.

Recalling her harrowing experience, she said a wave of water suddenly came and washed them away as they were heading towards the cyclone shelter on the night of Sidr. “I clutched a tree tightly and survived, “she added.

Another resident Ruhul Amin said he lost his father and two children on that day. He also recalled how he had recovered the bodies of his relatives from different places after the devastating cyclone.

Salma Begum, another resident of the village, said her husband went to the Sundarbans for fishing. She was alone in her house with her two-year-old daughter Mitu and five-year-old son Naim.

“When the cyclone hit the area, my children were washed away. I tried my best to save them, but failed,” she recalled, adding that Naim’s body was found on the next day, but Mitu’s body remained missing.

Rita Halder of Malopara in Tala upazila said she lost her husband on the day, who was the only earning member of her family. She has been leading a miserable life with three children since then.

“My husband had taken loans from five NGOs. I am now facing difficulties in paying those,” she added.

Aarti Biswas, wife of Govinda in Baukhola village said she is working hard to bear the expenses of her two daughters as her husband was killed in the Sidr. “I have yet to repay the Tk 1 lakh loan which my husband had taken from a money lender in the area,” she added.

When contacted, the majority of people now living in the Sidr hit areas echoed the voice of Rita and Arati.

Tala’s Upazila Nirbahi Officer Proshanto Kumar Biswas said the matter is not known to him. “Families who need support will receive help,” he added.

According to the Khulna Water Development Board, 10 per cent of the 1,650 km of embank in the Khulna region have good structural integrity. The remaining 90 per cent is dilapidated and risky.

Of these 90 per cent embankments, only 10 per cent have survived. In this situation, seven projects have been taken to build 480 kilometres of new embankment at a cost of about Tk10, 000 crore.

Imtiaz Uddin, general secretary of the Koira Unnoyon Sangram Sonommoy Committee, said the embankment has been damaged by natural disasters at different times, but it has never been repaired.

He also alleged that the contractor-engineers had embezzled the money allocated from embankment repair.

Executive Engineer Ashraful Alam of Water Development Board, Khulna said Sharankhola area of Bagerhat was most affected by Sidr in this region.

“We have almost completed the construction of an embankment there under the CIP project at a cost of Tk 62 crore. Ninety-five per cent of the project work has already been completed. The remaining 5 per cent of the work will be completed by next April,” he said.

Khulna-6 (Koyra-Paikgachha) constituency lawmaker Sheikh Akhtaruzzaman Babu said it is no longer possible to protect the coastal area with embankments built 60 years ago.

“I have sent letters several times to the Prime Minister’s office for construction of a new sustainable embankment, I have also written to the Ministry of Water Resources, I have raised demands in the National Assembly too,” he also said.

He hopes that sustainable dams will be built to protect coastal areas, and rivers will be dredged as well.

According to media reports, Sidr hit more than 31 coastal districts across the country, leaving nearly 3,406 people dead and 1,001 others missing. Over 55,000 people were also injured in the cyclone.

Sidr hit with winds of up to 240 km per hour on November 15, 2007. The category 4-storm was accompanied by tidal waves up to five metres high and surges up to six meters in some areas, breaking dams and embankments located in coastal regions and rivers. The waves flooded low-lying coastal areas, and caused widespread damage.

A study conducted by the government in 2008 shows that the total losses and damage caused by Sidr were estimated at Tk 115.6 billion.

As for the loss of housing, it was found that 34 percent of the total affected households completely lost their primary residences, and 17 percent of households were partially damaged.

Sidr caused damage to around 8,075km of roads in 11 districts of the country. This damage cost was estimated to be Tk 8 billion. Damage to the power sector was estimated to be Tk 576 million, and 90 percent of which was borne by the Rural Electrification Board (REB).

The cyclone partially or fully damaged 5,927 educational institutions, which resulted in a total value of damage and losses of Tk 4.7 billion. It also affected the health, nutrition, and family planning department in the nine districts.

The total value of damage and losses to this department was determined to be Tk 1,206 billion.