Cyclone shelters inadequate in Bagerhat
People of nine upazilas in the coastal district urged the authorities concerned to build more cyclone shelters as the existing ones are dilapidated as well as inadequate in number.
Besides, they do not have any facilities for sanitation and safe drinking water.
“The existing infrastructures are in awful condition due to lack of maintenance for long. It could be risky for the people to go there to take shelter during a natural calamity,” said Khaulia Union Parishad Chairman Md Abul Khair.
People in highly natural disaster-prone Morelganj and Sharankhola are now passing a worrying time as the stormy season is coming and the number of cyclone shelters in the coastal district is less than required, he said, adding that there might be massive casualties and damage of properties if natural disasters hit the coastal district.
“Due to the inadequate number of shelter centres, people may not find a place to seek shelter even after getting signal of any impending disaster,” Khair said.
“After Sidr, several school-cum-cyclone shelters were built in Morelganj and Sharankhola. Water tanks have been installed for rain water harvesting. Toilets and latrines were also constructed, but they are unusable,” said local journalists Ganesh Paul.
The Sidr affected people in the two upazilas are in panic because there are not enough cyclone shelters there. About two lakh people of Sharankhola have only 42 cyclone shelters and three lakh people of Morelganj have only 40 cyclone shelters.
“Natural disasters mainly take place in April-May every year. Local schools used as asylum centres due to lack of adequate cyclone shelters during the disasters. People suffer from diarrhoea, cholera and other diseases due to lack of pure drinking water and sanitation system,” said advocate Probir Halder, chairman of Suhasini Secondary School Managing Committee.
“There is a tube-well in the school which is inoperative. We have to go to the neighbours' houses for using toilet during school hours,” said student Rina.
“Our area has a few cyclone shelters. Due to that, we have taken training in disaster-related survival activities. Many of us participated in the training,” said Shahnaz Begum of Baniyakhali village.
"We are working with the union disaster management committee. After Sidr, with the help of union parishads, the government and non-governmental development organisations provided training with disaster preparedness to the local people,” said NGO worker Abdul Malek.
“Most of the people of Sharankhola and Morelganj have training on disaster management, so that they can go to the shelters immediately after getting news of approaching disaster and take necessary steps as per training,” he added.
"There are currently 234 cyclone shelters in the district and more than 20 are being built,” said Deputy Commissioner Tapan Kumar Biswas.
“In addition to setting up more cyclone shelters according to the population ratio, there will be emphasis on providing special facilities for women, children, elderly people and the disabled,” he added.
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