Natural calamities and official response
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Natural calamities such as flood, cyclone and drought are recurrent events in Bangladesh and for time immemorial the people living in this geographical boundary have been bearing the brunt. In fact, the very location has made the country vulnerable to floods and cyclones. Though an earthquake of high intensity has not jolted this land for some decades, but the recently recorded seismic activities have raised grave concerns among the experts. The Bangladesh people, who have learnt well how to live with natural calamities such as floods and cyclones, do not even seek government help following small-scale calamities. They are acclaimed globally for the resilience that they demonstrate following any major natural disaster. The great floods of 1988 and 1997 and devastating cyclonic storms of 1991, 2007 and 2009 are testimonies to that fact.
Bangladesh is praised world over for its disaster preparedness programmes and the administration's ability to respond very quickly to the needs of the disaster-stricken people. The local administration, the Red Crescent and a vast network of the non-governmental organizations do usually work hand in hand to help the distressed people despite the fact the response from the central government very often comes late. There is no denying that the authorities concerned failed to rise up to their reputation as good crisis managers in the task of mitigating the sufferings of the people affected by cyclones Sidr and Aila. Hundreds of families are still living in makeshift houses and having problems in getting access to safe drinking water in the affected areas in the coastal districts. Many families are leading a marooned life with no land to plough and no work to do. Tall promises were galore from the government and donors from abroad to help the affected families. But there is a gross mismatch between their promises and actual help extended to the area hit by Sidr and Aila.
Against this backdrop, the people of the coastal belt have been hit by storm and tidal surge of low intensity a few days back. More than 15 people lost their lives, homes were destroyed and tidal surge inundated a large area in the southern districts, causing extensive damage to crops and shrimp farms. A good number of fishermen and their fishing trawlers are reportedly still missing. The coastal areas in the districts of Borguna, Bhola, Bagerhat, Cox's Bazaar and Chittagong, according to reports published in national dailies, have been affected most. But until now the ministry of disaster management has not come up with any statistics on the damage done by the tidal surge and any plan to help the victims. Maybe, the ministry considers that the damage caused by the last week's tidal surge does not deserve its priority attention.
This kind of indifference on the part of the administration gives rise to a sense of deprivation among the population. A few words of consolation or some help extended by the administration to the victims of any calamity, natural or otherwise, do not cost the government much. Yet, it does help build a bridge of good relations between the government and the people. The people also expect from their elected representatives, who seem to be more interested in getting the development projects in their respective localities approved, some help when they are in distress following natural calamities. If the government is unmindful of its duties and responsibilities towards the people affected by natural calamities, the lawmakers in particular should point it out and demand of the government to do the needful.
Bangladesh is praised world over for its disaster preparedness programmes and the administration's ability to respond very quickly to the needs of the disaster-stricken people. The local administration, the Red Crescent and a vast network of the non-governmental organizations do usually work hand in hand to help the distressed people despite the fact the response from the central government very often comes late. There is no denying that the authorities concerned failed to rise up to their reputation as good crisis managers in the task of mitigating the sufferings of the people affected by cyclones Sidr and Aila. Hundreds of families are still living in makeshift houses and having problems in getting access to safe drinking water in the affected areas in the coastal districts. Many families are leading a marooned life with no land to plough and no work to do. Tall promises were galore from the government and donors from abroad to help the affected families. But there is a gross mismatch between their promises and actual help extended to the area hit by Sidr and Aila.
Against this backdrop, the people of the coastal belt have been hit by storm and tidal surge of low intensity a few days back. More than 15 people lost their lives, homes were destroyed and tidal surge inundated a large area in the southern districts, causing extensive damage to crops and shrimp farms. A good number of fishermen and their fishing trawlers are reportedly still missing. The coastal areas in the districts of Borguna, Bhola, Bagerhat, Cox's Bazaar and Chittagong, according to reports published in national dailies, have been affected most. But until now the ministry of disaster management has not come up with any statistics on the damage done by the tidal surge and any plan to help the victims. Maybe, the ministry considers that the damage caused by the last week's tidal surge does not deserve its priority attention.
This kind of indifference on the part of the administration gives rise to a sense of deprivation among the population. A few words of consolation or some help extended by the administration to the victims of any calamity, natural or otherwise, do not cost the government much. Yet, it does help build a bridge of good relations between the government and the people. The people also expect from their elected representatives, who seem to be more interested in getting the development projects in their respective localities approved, some help when they are in distress following natural calamities. If the government is unmindful of its duties and responsibilities towards the people affected by natural calamities, the lawmakers in particular should point it out and demand of the government to do the needful.