Of Sidr, relief work and relevant issues
Monday, 26 November 2007
Shamsul Huq Zahid
CYCLONE, codenamed, Sidr, has caused extensive devastation in the country's south and southwest coastal districts on November 15 last.
It has claimed lives of nearly 5000 people, over 0.15 million cattle heads, razed hundreds of thousands or kutcha and tin-roofed houses to the ground, destroyed aman crop ready for harvesting and caused major damage to physical infrastructures in these districts.
The people, who are not new to natural calamities like cyclones and tidal- surge, are now in serious distress, notwithstanding the fact they would gradually overcome the setback and start their life anew. Though the number human casualties is less this time than what was feared initially, the damage caused to property, infrastructure, crops etc., by the cyclone Sidr is extensive.
The people in the cyclone-hit districts now badly need food, shelter, pure drinking water. The government and voluntary organisations have started extensive relief operations in the affected areas. Donor countries and agencies have also responded well to the crisis situation and are making available relief materials, both in cash and kinds, to the government. Saudi Arabia was the first country to announce substantial amount of fund for the relief and rehabilitation of the cyclone-affected people. Western countries have also pledged funds and relief goods and the World Bank indicated more than 200 million dollars assistance to the government to help it overcome the budgetary shock due to the cyclone.
The neighbours, particularly India and Pakistan, have responded very generously at this time of crisis. India has promised to make available 40,000 tonnes of rice and 10,000 tonnes of wheat for the cyclone hit people and started airlifting of ready foods, medicines and other relief materials. What is more significant is that it has announced its decision to lift the ban on the export of medium and coarse varieties of rice exclusively for Bangladesh, where food prices have recorded substantial rise in recent months. The prices of onion have started coming down with the arrival of Indian onion in the market. Pakistan has sent two C-130 transport planes carrying relief goods and field hospitals for the affected people. The US government has dispatched its naval ships to help the Bangladesh government to airlift relief goods from Dhaka and ensure supply of safe drinking water the availability of which has become a serious problem in the cyclone-hit districts.
According to media reports, there have been some problems in relief distribution because of the absence of proper coordination. This is nothing unusual. It does happen when everyone tries to help the distressed people in their own ways. The government, however, with a view to ensuring better coordination in relief operations in the affected districts Saturday decided to establish a coordination centre in Barisal with Communications Adviser Abdul Matin as its head. This is also a deviation from the past. Earlier, such centres used to be located in Dhaka, hundreds of miles away from the affected areas. However, what is most important is the delivery of service.
The coordination centre needs to ensure distribution of food, safe water, clothes and medicines to less accessible areas, which are generally bypassed by the relief workers. The residents living by the road sides and a long the river banks are receiving more aid than their counterparts in remote villages.
The people of the affected districts, hopefully, with the help from all directions, would be able to overcome the losses they have suffered due to the cyclone, Sidr, and resume their normal activities soon. But the latest cyclone has brought to the fore a few issues that need to be addressed urgently. The first issue relates to the cyclone shelters in the coastal districts.
Some cyclone shelters were constructed in coastal areas in the aftermath of the great cyclone and tidal surge of 1970 that claimed more than 1.5 million lives in the coastal districts. The construction work received a boost during the rule of late President Ziaur Rahman. There were talks about having more cyclone shelters in the coastal districts when a devastating cyclone struck the coastal belt in 1991. But that was all and no new shelter has been built until today. Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed Friday laid emphasis on the construction of more cyclone shelters. But the General, thankfully, could feel yet another need that until now has escaped the notice of the policymakers. He underscored the need for the construction of shelters for cattle heads during natural calamities such as floods and cyclones.
Thousands of people took to safety to avoid the wrath of the cyclonic storm having the core of a hurricane. But there was no way to take their cattle heads to any safe place. Nearly, 0.15 million cattle heads perished in the cyclone-hit areas, causing a serious problem to their owners and also to farming in the localities which are still extensively dependent on drought animals.
The population in the cyclone-prone districts has more than doubled since 1970. But the number of cyclone shelters- estimated at 2033-- is too inadequate to accommodate the people needing shelter during emergencies. Moreover, many shelters being in dilapidated conditions need immediate attention from the authorities concerned.
The food and disaster management secretary last Saturday disclosed that the government had decided to construct 1000 more cyclone shelters-500 of which to be built with domestic resources-and 500 mud forts for the cattle heads in the cyclone-prone districts. It would be wise to build pucca water-tight forts rather than wasting money on mud-forts that are unlikely to withstand heavy downpours and tidal surge.
Another issue relates to the making the people aware of the need for taking weather bulletins seriously. Many Sidr survivors told the media that since many 'danger signals' had not come true in the past they had not taken the weather bulletins that seriously this time. Irony is that the men who once paid the cost by refusing to believe the official weather bulletins have started listening to rumours and also paying the cost. Last Thursday, about half a dozen people killed in a stampede in the coastal town of Barguna while trying to save themselves from an impending 'tidal surge'. Someone spread the rumour that a tidal surge would strike the coastal belt that night.
The authorities need to further strengthen the local level voluntary network of making the people aware of the impending natural calamities in the coastal districts. Such network has been in place for many years. But over time, a sort of inertia might have gripped it. So, it is time for gearing it up. Besides, studies should be carried out on the prospect of introducing community radio service in the coastal districts. Such service would meet the purpose if those are operated by local individuals taking local culture and dialects as the means of communications.
CYCLONE, codenamed, Sidr, has caused extensive devastation in the country's south and southwest coastal districts on November 15 last.
It has claimed lives of nearly 5000 people, over 0.15 million cattle heads, razed hundreds of thousands or kutcha and tin-roofed houses to the ground, destroyed aman crop ready for harvesting and caused major damage to physical infrastructures in these districts.
The people, who are not new to natural calamities like cyclones and tidal- surge, are now in serious distress, notwithstanding the fact they would gradually overcome the setback and start their life anew. Though the number human casualties is less this time than what was feared initially, the damage caused to property, infrastructure, crops etc., by the cyclone Sidr is extensive.
The people in the cyclone-hit districts now badly need food, shelter, pure drinking water. The government and voluntary organisations have started extensive relief operations in the affected areas. Donor countries and agencies have also responded well to the crisis situation and are making available relief materials, both in cash and kinds, to the government. Saudi Arabia was the first country to announce substantial amount of fund for the relief and rehabilitation of the cyclone-affected people. Western countries have also pledged funds and relief goods and the World Bank indicated more than 200 million dollars assistance to the government to help it overcome the budgetary shock due to the cyclone.
The neighbours, particularly India and Pakistan, have responded very generously at this time of crisis. India has promised to make available 40,000 tonnes of rice and 10,000 tonnes of wheat for the cyclone hit people and started airlifting of ready foods, medicines and other relief materials. What is more significant is that it has announced its decision to lift the ban on the export of medium and coarse varieties of rice exclusively for Bangladesh, where food prices have recorded substantial rise in recent months. The prices of onion have started coming down with the arrival of Indian onion in the market. Pakistan has sent two C-130 transport planes carrying relief goods and field hospitals for the affected people. The US government has dispatched its naval ships to help the Bangladesh government to airlift relief goods from Dhaka and ensure supply of safe drinking water the availability of which has become a serious problem in the cyclone-hit districts.
According to media reports, there have been some problems in relief distribution because of the absence of proper coordination. This is nothing unusual. It does happen when everyone tries to help the distressed people in their own ways. The government, however, with a view to ensuring better coordination in relief operations in the affected districts Saturday decided to establish a coordination centre in Barisal with Communications Adviser Abdul Matin as its head. This is also a deviation from the past. Earlier, such centres used to be located in Dhaka, hundreds of miles away from the affected areas. However, what is most important is the delivery of service.
The coordination centre needs to ensure distribution of food, safe water, clothes and medicines to less accessible areas, which are generally bypassed by the relief workers. The residents living by the road sides and a long the river banks are receiving more aid than their counterparts in remote villages.
The people of the affected districts, hopefully, with the help from all directions, would be able to overcome the losses they have suffered due to the cyclone, Sidr, and resume their normal activities soon. But the latest cyclone has brought to the fore a few issues that need to be addressed urgently. The first issue relates to the cyclone shelters in the coastal districts.
Some cyclone shelters were constructed in coastal areas in the aftermath of the great cyclone and tidal surge of 1970 that claimed more than 1.5 million lives in the coastal districts. The construction work received a boost during the rule of late President Ziaur Rahman. There were talks about having more cyclone shelters in the coastal districts when a devastating cyclone struck the coastal belt in 1991. But that was all and no new shelter has been built until today. Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed Friday laid emphasis on the construction of more cyclone shelters. But the General, thankfully, could feel yet another need that until now has escaped the notice of the policymakers. He underscored the need for the construction of shelters for cattle heads during natural calamities such as floods and cyclones.
Thousands of people took to safety to avoid the wrath of the cyclonic storm having the core of a hurricane. But there was no way to take their cattle heads to any safe place. Nearly, 0.15 million cattle heads perished in the cyclone-hit areas, causing a serious problem to their owners and also to farming in the localities which are still extensively dependent on drought animals.
The population in the cyclone-prone districts has more than doubled since 1970. But the number of cyclone shelters- estimated at 2033-- is too inadequate to accommodate the people needing shelter during emergencies. Moreover, many shelters being in dilapidated conditions need immediate attention from the authorities concerned.
The food and disaster management secretary last Saturday disclosed that the government had decided to construct 1000 more cyclone shelters-500 of which to be built with domestic resources-and 500 mud forts for the cattle heads in the cyclone-prone districts. It would be wise to build pucca water-tight forts rather than wasting money on mud-forts that are unlikely to withstand heavy downpours and tidal surge.
Another issue relates to the making the people aware of the need for taking weather bulletins seriously. Many Sidr survivors told the media that since many 'danger signals' had not come true in the past they had not taken the weather bulletins that seriously this time. Irony is that the men who once paid the cost by refusing to believe the official weather bulletins have started listening to rumours and also paying the cost. Last Thursday, about half a dozen people killed in a stampede in the coastal town of Barguna while trying to save themselves from an impending 'tidal surge'. Someone spread the rumour that a tidal surge would strike the coastal belt that night.
The authorities need to further strengthen the local level voluntary network of making the people aware of the impending natural calamities in the coastal districts. Such network has been in place for many years. But over time, a sort of inertia might have gripped it. So, it is time for gearing it up. Besides, studies should be carried out on the prospect of introducing community radio service in the coastal districts. Such service would meet the purpose if those are operated by local individuals taking local culture and dialects as the means of communications.