4 Aila-Hit Upazilas of Khulna: Study of 50,000 students stalled, cyclone victims still need succour

The Daily Star, June 7, 2009

Study of over 50,000 students is being hampered as the May 25 cyclone Aila followed by tidal surges damaged 487 academic institutions in four upazilas of Khulna district.

Meanwhile, mismanagement in relief distribution coupled with lack of materials adds to the sufferings of cyclone victims, many of them starving.

As many as 194 institutions have been damaged in Koira upazila while the number is 140 in Paikgachha, 78 in Batiaghata and 75 in Dakope upazila under the district.

Fifteen of them are colleges, 53 madrasas, 113 high schools and the others are government and non-government primary schools.

In the four upazilas, most of the 198 unharmed institutions have been made temporary shelters for the people who have turned homeless by the cyclone and tidal surges.

Many homeless people are still staying on embankments and in cyclone centres in remote areas of worst affected Koira and Dakope upazilas of Khulna district.

A large number of cyclone victims are suffering for want of food and pure drinking water while there are allegations of lack of coordination in distribution of relief goods.

The district administration has been facing a lot of problems due to lack of coordinated efforts in distribution of relief goods, said Paikgachha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Sabur Hossain.

It is very difficult to determine if worst victims are getting relief goods or some people are taking it more than once through unfair means, said Dakope upazila Chairman Abul Hossain.

Malpractice in distribution coupled with unavailability of relief materials have added to the sufferings of affected people, mostly starving, said Koira upazila Chairman Md Mohsin Reza.

Meanwhile, very little relief materials have reached Sharankhola and Morrelganj upazilas of Bagerhat district, sources said.

Dam breach panics people in southwest

Tapos Kanti Das . Khulna NewAge, June 7, 2009

Villagers in the southwest, still facing inundation because of tidal surges associated with cyclone Aila, were panicked as the flood water level suddenly rose by two feet on an average under the influence of full moon on Saturday.
   

According to locals and relief workers, the collapsed dams which were repaired by the locals again breached at No 2 Koyra, Padna, Patharkhali and Patakhali points under Koyra and Shyamnagar because of the sudden rise in water level.
   

‘Water is entering the villages overflowing the dams and at places the repaired portions of the dams breached again,’ Amjadul Islam, chairman of Padmapukur union council, said.
   

‘Most of the people have taken shelter on the high embankments and in the shelter houses and only a few were staying in their houses building platforms,’ he said. He also said he has asked the people living near the dams to move to safer places.
   

‘There is nobody in our village now. Our homesteads are inundated and we are worried as the dams breached again,’ said Shawkat Ali Sana of No 2 Koyra.
   

Koyra union council chairman HM Shahabuddin Ahmed said they were trying to repair the breached points.
   

A total of 594km embankment of the Water Development Board were damaged in Khulna including 90km in Koyra, 118km in Dacope, 200km in Paikgachha, 181km in Batiyaghata, 1km in Dumuria and 4km in Rupsa.
   

Meanwhile, waterborne diseases continued to spread in the inundated areas.
   

People were on rush for relief materials. It was raining almost everyday causing more sufferings to the people.
   

The Koyra upazila chairman, GM Mohsin Reza, told New Age that the people will not be able to survive if the dams were not repaired or reconstructed immediately.