Economic loss understood to be huge; thousands still marooned
The death toll from Cyclone Aila rose to 121 yesterday, as thousands of people marooned in the coastal areas were battling to survive the aftermath with little food and drinking water. The storm that ripped through the southwestern coast Monday has left at least 32 people killed in Satkhira, 25 in Noakhali, 20 in Khulna, 13 in Bhola, nine in Barisal, seven in Patuakhali, six in Laxmipur, two each in Bagerhat, Chapainawabganj and Cox's Bazar, and one each in Magura, Natore and Lalmonirhat, said sources from the affected districts. The food and disaster management ministry however puts the death count at 91. According to reports from our correspondents, tidal waves churned by strong winds have inundated vast swathes of land. Heavy rains coupled with gales flattened huge tracts of standing crops and washed away numerous fisheries. They also caused extensive damage to embankments and levees in the coastal districts. The HSC and equivalent examinations scheduled for the next two days have been postponed in nine upazilas--Ashashuni and Shamnagar of Satkhira, Koira, Paikgacha, Botiaghata, Dumuria and Dakop of Khulna, and Mongla and Rampal of Bagerhat district. Jessore Board Controller Amirul Islam told The Daily Star that dates for these examinations would be declared later. Food Minister Abdur Razzak yesterday visited different cyclone-hit areas. He distributed relief among the locals at Panpatti village under Galachipa upazila in Patuakhali district. Our Barisal correspondent adds: In Barisal division, Bhola appears to have borne the worst of the cyclone. Road and water communications between seven upazilas in the district have been snapped for two days now. Local sources said Aila has destroyed thousands of hectares of crops including Aus, Aman and Boro rice, and vegetables. Manpura flood control embankment has been breached at many points. Strong current has carried away a 10-km stretch of the dam, and onrushing tide levelled hundreds of homes. People in the remote flood-affected areas were suffering from an acute shortage of drinking water. Our staff correspondent from Khulna reports: At 5:00pm yesterday, the death count in the cyclonic storm stood at 22, according to official sources. Of the dead, 20 were in Khulna district and the other two, women, in Bagerhat district. The storm and tidal surge have destroyed almost 80 percent of the forest camps in Chandpai and Sharankhola ranges, said Mihir Kumar, divisional forest officer in charge of the Sundarbans east wing. According to Khulna district control room, Aila has left around 30,000 houses in ruins. The number could be even higher once a damage full assessment is done. Unofficial sources said over three lakh people in Khulna and Bagerhat districts have remained marooned as of filing this report at 7:00pm. At least 90 percent of shrimp enclosures and flood control dams in Khulna and Bagerhat districts have been washed away. Cargo handling at Mongla Port, which was suspended on Sunday night, resumed yesterday morning. Our correspondent from Satkhira said at least 32 people including children were killed in Cyclone Aila. Shyamnagar and Assassuni upazilas were the worst affected. At least 90 percent of thatched houses and mud huts have been demolished by Aila-fed tidal surge, forcing thousands of people to take shelter in nearby buildings and cyclone centres. Those in cyclone shelters were passing hard times for scarcity of food, drinking water and medicines. The local administration was yet to launch any relief efforts. Meanwhile, fears were growing of an outbreak of diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases. Our Patuakhali correspondent reports: The number of people affected in Cyclone Aila is over 11.50 lakh. 400 Km flood control embankment and 75 km roads of LGED have been damaged. The district had at least 30,000 hectares of crops including Aus damaged in the storm. Our Gopalganj correspondent said hundreds of mud houses and trees were uprooted during the cyclone on May 25. The affected areas had been without electricity for over 24 hours. Land phone connections and mobile network were yet to start functioning.
Relief and rescue
Razzaq, the disaster management minister, said prime minister Sheikh Hasina directed the MPs to visit the affected areas. As many as 42,000 volunteers along with army, navy and coast guard members are conducting rescue and relief operations in the affected areas under local arrangements. Razzaq said damage and casualties were not severe as the wind speed caused by the cyclone was less. However, the height of the surges was much higher than before, 12 to 13 feet at places, forcing many people to seek shelter on rooftops. At places dams gave in due to the surge, flooding the areas inside the dams. The government granted 1000 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 12 lakh as relief for the affected people, the minister said adding there were already sufficient stocks of relief in the affected districts. The storm battered and flooded villages, forced thousands of people from their homes, uprooted trees and knocked out power and telephone poles, officials said.
City's unsuccessful circular waterway clicks for grabbers; over 10,000 sand cargo boats make transportation cheap
Dredging of the rivers under the 'Circular Waterway' project facilitated encroachment on the rivers, riverbanks, floodplains, canals and other wetland as the grabbers could easily bring sand on cargo boats.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) dredged some rivers for developing the circular waterway. Now around 10,000 cargo boats are operating in and around the capital and most of them are serving the purpose of land developers.
The sand and soil carrying cargo boats, locally known as 'bolget', are the main transports operating on these river routes.
The housing companies used to fill up the southern and eastern side of the capital a few years ago. But now they are filling up the wetland and rivers in the northern parts. The 'bolgets' could not reach the northern parts as it was impossible for them to ply in the Turag then.
"But the government excavated the rivers for the Circular Water Way and now these boats can easily ply in there. So the riverbanks and other wetland are being filled up very quickly," says a BIWTA official speaking anonymously.
The private housing companies and earth fillers prefer 'bolgets' as each boat carries 5,000 to 10,000 cubic feet of sand at a time.
"If someone wants to carry 10,000 CFT of sand on trucks he will need at least 100 trucks," said an official working with a housing estate who does not want to be identified.
Developers say around 10,000 'bolgets' are carrying sand and earth to fill up wetland, floodplains and the rivers around the city.
Sources in the Ministry of Shipping say there are around 5,000 registered water vessels in the capital, most of which are mainly serving the purpose of 31 housing companies and private housing initiatives to fill up land.
Sometimes the cargo boats create such obstacles in the river routes that other modes of transport cannot move properly. In recent years, accidents on river routes around the capital have increased thanks to these boats.
When these boats are loaded, the upper deck almost goes down the water level. This makes it hard for other water transports to identify them at night and accidents occur as a result.
A couple of years ago BIWTA imposed a ban on plying of 'bolgets' at night so that other vessels don't face any obstacle.
No fishermen or fishing boats were visible during several visits to the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Balu and Turag rivers in recent weeks. Only there were some dredgers and 'bolgets' either to fill up land or collect sand to fill up other parts of the rivers elsewhere.
Recently, The Daily Star published a series of reports on riverbed and riverbank filling. During investigation, it was found that all the filling was taking place by boats.
BIWTA Secretary Syed Monowar Hossain said they are taking preparations to evict all illegal grabbers.
"We won't allow anyone to illegally fill up the riverbanks, even if it is their own land. We'll go by the port act and rules and regulations applicable for the rivers," he said.
As the BITWA and other authorities sit idle, both the sides of the Dhaka flood protection embankment from Kamrangirchar to Gabtali through Rayer Bazar have meanwhile been filled up.
Some government agencies are also violating the laws and filling up the wetland.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has taken up its Uttara third phase project after dredging the Turag. They also dredged the river and used 'bolgets' to fill up wetland for the purpose.
Different housing estates occupied and filled up Dangurdia, Durdi, Vatara, Telikhola and Brahmankhola canals in Satarkul and Vatara unions under Badda police station in the last five years.
Rashidkhali canal, one of the most important canals in eastern Dhaka, was once 10 kilometres long and connected the Norai river. Different housing companies have filled up around eight kilometres of this canal.
The grabbers have also filled up canals from Meradia to Nandipara in recent years using the river route.
They have also made attempts to fill up areas from Gabtali to Ashulia towards Tongi.
Dhaka, May 25 (bdnews24.com)—Cyclone 'Aila', packing winds up to 100 kph, flung itself to the exposed Khulna coast on Monday, leaving at least eight dead, and 72 missing. The government said five people have died so far in the cyclone in Bhola and Potuakhali districts.But bdnews24.com correspondents quoting district administrations put the figure at eight. Of them three died in Chharfashion in Bhola and one each in Baufal and Galachipa in Potuakhali district, disaster management minister Abdur Razzaq said at a press briefing in Dhaka. He said prime minister Sheikh Hasina has already directed the MPs to visit the affected areas. As many as 42,000 volunteers along with army, navy and coast guard members are conducting rescue and relief operations in the affected areas under local arrangements. Razzaq said damage and casualties were not severe as the wind speed caused by the cyclone was less. However, the height of the surges was much higher than before, 12 to 13 feet at places, forcing many people to seek shelter on rooftops. At places dams gave in due to the surge, flooding the areas inside the dams. The government granted 1000 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 12 lakh as relief for the affected people, the minister said adding there were already sufficient stocks of relief in the affected districts. The storm battered and flooded villages, forced thousands of people from their homes, uprooted trees and knocked out power and telephone poles, officials said. Operations at Chittagong and Mongla ports and river transport service have been suspended. Ferry communication on Paturia-Daulatdia river route was on and off from Sunday night and was finally suspended from 3pm on Monday, causing sufferings to thousands of passengers. "Aila" moved northwards inland, the centre of the storm crossed West Bengal-Khulna coast near Sagar Island of India and lay centred at Kolkata and adjoining area of India. But the remaining part of the storm was still crossing, said a special weather bulletin of the Meteorological Department at 8:30pm. It is likely to move in a northerly direction further inland. Sea will remain very rough. Mongla port has been advised to keep hoisted danger signal seven. The coastal districts of Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Barguna, Pirojpur, Jhalokathhi, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Jessore and their offshore islands and chars will be under danger alert seven. Chittagong and Cox's Bazar ports have been advised to keep hoisted danger signal six. The coastal districts of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Feni, Laxmipur, Comilla, Chandpur and their offshore islands and chars will be under danger signal six. Under the influence of the storm, the coastal districts of Khulna, Bagerhat, Borguna, Satkhira, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirozpur, Jhalokathi, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chandpur, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and their offshore islands and chars are likely to experience heavy or very heavy rain accompanied by squally wind speed up to 90 kph with the passage of the storm. The low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Khulna, Bagerhat, Borguna, Satkhira, Barisal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Pirozpur, Jhalokathi, Laxmipur, Noakhali, Feni, Chandpur, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by wind-driven surge of height six to eight feet above normal astronomical tide.
All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter until further notice. Heavy rains triggered by the cyclone raised river levels and burst mud embankments, flooding homes. At least 72 passengers went missing when three trawlers sank in Meghna estuary at Monpura in Bhola. A woman died when she was swept by high tide in Noakhali. It is the second storm in the Bay of Bengal in less than one month. Several people were killed and hundreds of thatched houses destroyed in Cox's Bazar on April 17.
River traffic halted
The weather has forced suspension of ferry movement on all rivers routes. Fishermen have come back from the sea because of high tide.
Noakhali
A woman, Nazma, 30, was swept aside as low-lying areas of Nijhum Island went six to seven feet under water due to hide tide at in Noakhali. Noakhali was experiencing sporadic rains under the influence of Aila since Monday morning. At least 30-35 houses were inundated after water began entering many areas of the island from 10am. Jahajmara range official Hafizuddin said many deer were likely to be swept by the sea as water level rose than the normal level.
Bagerhat
The low-lying areas, including shrimp enclosures, went four to five feet under water in high tide in Bagerhat. Bagerhat deputy commissioner Moazzem Hossain told bdnews24.com that Jaimonir Ghol, Chila of Mongla, Malliker Ber, Banshtoli and Madardia Bazar of Rampal, Rayenda Bazar and Morelganj of Sharankhola went three to four feet under water. Authorities opened 10 control rooms and 219 cyclone shelters at all upazilas and district sadar. The affected people of the inundated areas have been herded into cyclone shelters.
Patuakhali
Five villages went under water as dam of Khajura point in Kuakata collapsed leaving thousands of families stranded. Hundreds of houses and trees were damaged in the rain and squally wind that occurred from Sunday night.
SEOUL, May 25 (bdnews24.com/ Reuters) - North Korea conducted a nuclear test on Monday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a ruling party official as saying.
YTN Television quoted the South Korean weather agency as saying it detected a tremor indicating a test at 0054 GMT.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had called an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers over the test, Yonhap said.
North Korea had recently said it would again test a nuclear device -- its first was in October 2006 -- in reaction to tightened international sanctions after it fired a long-range rocket in April.
News of the test hit South Korean financial markets, sending the main KOSPI share index down four percent in late morning trade, while the won dropped more than 1 percent against the dollar.
Claims a river seller; army officer too 'buys' a piece of land in water for wife
Every piece of papers of the land is "original" and the buyer need not worry or face any problems at all, assures Hazrat Mukhter. There are reasons to trust in him as he works as the assistant of a lawyer. He knows the business.
"Only if the government extends boundary of the river, then they will acquire the land. Otherwise everything is clean," he says.
Hazrat Mukhter was born and brought up in Kamarpara village by the now-reduced Turag. He has many memories about the river.
"Turag was much deeper and wider when I was a schoolboy. I did not dare to take bath in the river," recollects a nostalgic Mukhter when asked how he saw the river in his childhood.
"Now that the Turag has been indiscriminately encroached, it is no longer a mighty river," he continues.
He claims that he has not encroached on the river, but his phone number is available on a signboard erected on the riverbank at Kamarpara bridge point.
The floodplain of the river is the spot where Mukhter has erected the signboard. The place remains under water seven to nine months a year.
"I have inherited some pieces of land from my father and bought some more. Now I am selling some of those," he adds.
He demands Tk 4 lakh for each katha of land and wishes to sell around 20 katha there.
As the city is expanding northwards, the price of land started to shoot up especially since the Dhaka protection embankment was built in the early 90s. Soon some influential quarters from the capital invested huge amount on land and started grabbing the river with the help of the local people.
On the land to be sold by Mukhter there was another signboard just a week ago that read, "The land is booked by Iman Ali and associates".
Contacted over phone, Iman Ali's brother said they were going to buy the land and gave some money to Mukhter in advance.
"We later decided not to buy the land and removed the signboard," he added.
Around 74 decimals of land was developed a couple of years ago beside the land of Uttara University near Kamarpara and Dhaur. The wife of a serving brigadier is the owner of the land just beside the Turag.
Contacted, the military official said he did not fill up the river; rather he filled up his land six feet away from the river area.
"The river is really very narrow out there," the said asking not to be identified.
"I brought engineers from the Water Development Board to measure boundaries of the river and my land so that I don't fill up the river," he added.
"The land I have bought is absolutely private and legal," he said adding recently he got permission from the government to make a road to connect his land with the Dhaka bypass.
The brigadier went on to say he bought soil from the government to fill up his land as the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) dredged the river.
But he could not say the width of the river in the official papers and in reality beside his land.
The brigadier has a plan to do some charity work on that land once he goes on retirement.
Asked about the Wetland and Open Space Preservation Act, 2000, he said he is not aware of the law.
ঢাকা, মে ২৪ (বিডিনিউজ টোয়েন্টিফোর ডটকম)- বুড়িগঙ্গা, শীতলক্ষ্যা, বালু ও তুরাগ নদীর তীর,বেদখল, মাটি ভরাট এবং স্থায়ী-অস্থায়ী সব ধরনের নির্মাণ বন্ধে কার্যকর পদক্ষেপ নিতে সরকারকে নির্দেশ দিয়েছে হাইকোর্ট।
রোববার বিচারপতি এ বি এম খায়রুল হক ও বিচারপতি মো. মমতাজ উদ্দিন আহম্মদের হাইকোর্ট বেঞ্চ মানবাধিকার ও পরিবেশবাদী সংগঠন 'হিউম্যান রাইটস অ্যান্ড পিস ফর বাংলাদেশ' এর দায়ের করা একটি জনস্বার্থ রিট আবেদনের পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে এ আদেশ দেয়
পাশাপাশি নদীগুলোকে পূর্বের স্বাভাবিক অবস্থায় ফিরিয়ে আনার কেন নির্দেশ দেওয়া হবে না এবং নদী তীরের অবৈধ স্থায়ী-অস্থায়ী স্থাপনা অপসারণের কেন নির্দেশ দেওয়া হবে নাÑ তা জানতে চেয়ে সরকারের প্রতি রুলনিশি জারি করা হয়েছে।
এছাড়া, নদীগুলোর প্রকৃত সীমানা নির্ধারণের কেন নির্দেশ দেওয়া হবে নাÑ আদলত তাও জানতে চেয়েছে।
পরিকল্পনা, অর্থ, নৌ পরিবহন, ভূমি, স্থানীয় সরকার, পানি সম্পদ ও যোগাযোগ মন্ত্রণালয়ের সচিব, বিআইডব্লিউটিএ'র চেয়ারম্যান, ভূমি ও পরিবেশ অধিদপ্তরের মহাপরিচালক এবং ঢাকা, নারায়ণগঞ্জ ও গাজীপুরের জেলা প্রশাসককে আগামী এক সপ্তাহের মধ্যে এ রুলের জবাব দিতে বলা হয়েছে।
বুড়িগঙ্গা, শীতলক্ষ্যা, বালু ও তুরাগ নদীর তীরদখল, মাটিভরাট এবং স্থায়ী-অস্থায়ী সব ধরনের নির্মাণ বন্ধে কার্যকর পদক্ষেপ নেওয়ার জন্যও তাদের প্রতি নির্দেশ দেওয়া হয়।
রিটটি পরিচালন করেন অ্যাডভোকেট মঞ্জিল মোর্শেদ।
