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.
