Milon Karmaker Raju, Kalapara (Patuakhali)
Several thousand cyclones affected families are currently desperately trying to live by making shanties on the same broken, demolished cross-dam again in Kalapara Upazila of Patuakhali, after their family members died tragically and their houses were demolished and washed away with the breaching of the cross-dam (embankment) during deadly Cyclone Yaas.
It is learnt that those affected people of seven villages under Lalua union of Kalapara of Patuakhali are being flooded with the water of the high tide two times daily. As a result, to save their lives and properties, more than 200 affected families with their children and aged members have taken shelter on Chandupara embankment for more than a month.
The families have no fresh water to drink, no cooking furnaces and no sanitation system. Yet, to save them from the tidal bore and cyclone, those helpless families have taken shelter on the embankment by making shanties with polythene sheets, palm leaves and banana leaves.
Aftermath of the Cyclone Sidr in 2007, some 20,000 people of Lalua union of Kalapara have been striving to survive somehow but after the cyclone of Yaas, those people have turned further helpless.
The shanties where the homeless people live are unit to use. Those are being flooded two times daily with the water of the tide of river Rabanabadh two times daily. As a result, permanent water logging has been created in most of the villages. Lack of fresh drinking water and absence of sanitation system is making many family
members of the embankment ill. No permanent measure has been taken from the government to rehabilitate these affected, helpless families.
Sexgenerian Dhola Bibi and Feroza Begum at the shanty informed they have faced the flood of '70's and '90's, the Sidr of 2007, Mohasen and Ampan but they have never became homeless like this year. Almost 90 percent of the families of the village-rich and poor, officer to the day labourer- all have now taken shelter on the embankment without the minimum of civic facilities like sanitation and drinking water.
Chand Mia(70) and disables Shafiqul of Chandupara village informed, after the storm some political leaders including local Member of Parliament assisted the affected families with food. But, they do not need food as relief, they need a permanent cross-dam. They further said, they have their homes but those are unfit to live in because of regular tide and water logging.
Chairman of Lalua Union Parishad Shaokat Hossain Biswas Tapon informed, thousands of people are now leading inhuman lives with untold sufferings. They are, infact, living on roads, starving. They are regularly being affected by tidal surge and rain water.
Mohibur Rahman, Member of Parliament of Patuakhali-4 has recently visited the affected areas and distributed relief goods among the affected people. He said, people of Lalua union are being affected in every storm and tidal bore due to breached Charipara cross dam. He said, he would raise the issue in the Parliament so that the dam is repaired permanently.
Senior Secretary of Water Development Board Kabir Bin Anowar has also visited the affected areas and assured the people to repair the breached part of the dam.
