People continue to suffer as water yet to recede

Staff Correspondent, NewAge, June 5, 2009

People marooned in the cyclone Aila-hit south-west continue to suffer as water was yet to recede from the areas after more than a week of inundation.
   

Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, skin diseases and pneumonia have broken out in the areas, said medical teams working in the remote areas.
   

People were seen roaming around for relief materials at Koyra and Paikgachha while thousands of families have taken shelter in makeshift shanties on the Khulna-Koyra Road.
   

The Koyra upazila chairman, GM Mohsin Reza, told New Age that most part of his upazila has been under water for the past ten days as water did not recede.
   

The superintendent engineer of the Khulna Water Development Board, Mostaq Ahmed, said they could not flush out the logged water from a number of the areas as the damaged embankments were not repaired or reconstructed.
   

Local people alleged that the chairmen and members of the union councils were conducting electioneering for the local government elections and distributing relief goods only among their prospective voters.
   

Shawkat Ali Sana of village No 2 Koyra, who has taken shelter in a shanty on the road, said the union council chairmen and members were giving relief among their chosen people in the shelters. ‘They are doing vote-business satisfying their supporters first,’ he said.
   

The Koyra union council chairman, Shahabuddin Ahmed, however, denied the allegation, saying he was distributing the relief goods properly.
   

The Koyra upazila chairman, GM Mohsin Reza, admitted that they were yet to reach every person despite sincere attempts.
   

He also said people from different localities lodged complaints with him about the nepotism and mismanagement by the union council chairmen and members.

Development partners assure Bangladesh govt of $13m in Aila grant

Staff Correspondent, NewAge, June 5, 2009

Development partners have assured the government of immediate disbursement of $13 million as grants for repairing dams, cross-dams and embankments in the cyclone Aila-ravaged coastal districts, official sources said.
   

The assurance came in an inter-ministerial meeting with development partners at the Planning Commission on Thursday.
   

‘Three donors – World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency — have assured the government that they would disburse the amount immediately,’ said a senior official of the Economic Relation Division on Thursday after the meeting.
   

The official also said the development partners would not curtail the existing development project amounts because of this fresh assistance.
   

Sources said the prime minister’s economic affairs adviser, Mashiur Rahman, presided over the meeting on the possible strategies for mitigating the impact of Cyclone ‘Aila’. The World Bank country director, Xian Zhu, ADB country director Paul J Heytens, JICA representatives and high officials of the water resources ministry also attended the meeting.
   

‘The government has sought fund from the development partners what will be immediately needed for repairs to the damaged dams and embankments,’ Mashiur Rahman told the meeting.
   

He also said the long-term and medium-term assistance would be decided in the several consultation meetings with the water resources ministry.
   

The meeting sources said the water resources ministry would a hold a meeting with the development partners on Saturday at the secretariat on the long and medium-term assistance for the Aila-affected country’s south-western coast areas.
   

According to the meeting, the Water Development Board would need $62.46 million for repairing the water-related infrastructure but the board urgent needs $16.86 million.
   

Meanwhile, the finance ministry has already disbursed Tk 116 crore for the Aila-affected areas. Of the amount, Tk 41 crore is meant for repairing the dams and embankments while the rest will be used for food for work programme in.