Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) national committee member and disaster management expert Gauhar Naeem Wara has said that after cyclone Remal, saline water needs to be removed from the freshwater reservoirs in the coastal areas to save crops and ensure food security.
“Damaged embankments should be repaired at the earliest. This will prevent the areas where the seawater has penetrated from expanding,” he said in a press conference on Saturday.
The press conference, titled “Food Security after Cyclone Remal: Immediate Action” was organised by BAPA and held at the Sagor-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the capital.
Under the chairmanship of BAPA President Prof Nur Mohammad Talukder and moderated by Acting General Secretary Aminur Rasul, Gauhar Naeem Wara presented the keynote paper.
Gauhar Naeem said, “Remal was a moderate tropical storm. However, it remained in Bangladesh for about 50 hours after making landfall, causing embankments to break and allowing saline water to enter the adjacent low-lying areas.
“If the concerned authorities coordinate effectively, it is possible to drain the water within 10 days; otherwise, it will not be feasible. The Bangladesh Water Development Board, local governments, and those in charge need to work together.”
The BAPA national committee member continued, “During this prolonged storm, about 27 million people in the coastal areas lost power, and 27,000 mobile network towers were disabled.”
“To prepare for the upcoming Aman season, measures must be taken to quickly remove salt water from the fields and reservoirs. This can be achieved by pumping out the water. If necessary, the current policy strategy should be changed to facilitate this,” he added.
BAPA Joint Secretary and environment expert Ahmed Kamruzzaman Majumder said, “A large number of people in the coastal areas now need food, shelter, and medical care. The Department of Disaster Management is limited to providing relief only. Post-disaster activities must also be supervised.
“There are 20-25 more depressions that may hit in the next few months, and 25-30 per cent of them could pass over Bangladesh. We must prepare in advance. Additionally, we need to assess the efficiency of the dams and sluice gates, as they are currently holding back the salt water.”
The press conference was also addressed by disaster expert and BAPA's climate change and disaster management committee member Rafiqul Alam, BAPA Vice-President Shahidul Haque Khan.
