Hundreds of tornado victims under open sky

Well to do farmer Jalil Sardar, failing to feed his family, weeping in front of his devastated house in Rangpur.Photo:Rafique Sarker

Five children attacked with diarrhoea were sent to Sundarganj Upazila Health Complex from Doshlia and Sanandapur villages.

Doctors and NGO officials working in the area however do not apprehend large scale outbreak of intestinal diseases because there is adequate stock of food relief.

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But the sanitation situation is very bad, which is ominous. This is because most of the affected people are living under the open sky.

The house building relief is too inadequate, they said.

One family is given two bundles of CI sheet and Tk 1000. This is inadequate compared to the devastation.

Bamboo, used for raising tin sheds, is scarce as most of the bamboo clusters have been damaged by the tornado that affected about 11000 people in the areas.

The Daily Star correspondent during visits yesterday and the day before saw a devastating situation in Dakxin Dashaklia, Naldanga and Sarbananda unions in Gaibandga and 17 villages in Pirgacha and Mithapukur upazilas in Rangpur district.

Over a week into the crises, army and BDR teams are now treating injured patients and preparing fresh lists of affected people following demonstrations protesting anomaly and nepotism by the administration and local body leaders in relief distribution.

Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner and Sadullapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer were withdrawn earlier for neglect to duty and irregularities in post-tornado relief work.

Miseries of the affected people have increased after Sunday's rains in the areas.

Many of the affected people in Khamar Dashlia, Sarbanando, Kuthirpara Sadullahpur and Sunderganj, Materhat, Imadpur, and Haripur in Mithapukur upazila alleged that they did not get food relief from the government.

Army personnel were distributing corrugated CI sheets, money and 10 kilograms of rice per head among the affected people following complaints of irregularities by upazila administrations and Union Parishad members. Army teams have erected makeshift tents in some areas.

Janhangir Alam Chowdhury, Chairman of Dhopadanga Union Parishad said the local administration listed 1,425 people from nine villages in the union whereas at least 2,105 victims are still out of list, said.

Farmer Shahidul of Sarbanando said many unaffected people were given CI sheets and other relief materials. He mentioned the names of Bakkor and Awalad Sha of Kishmot Sarbanando village.

Some affected people in Dhopadanga village in Sunderganj said they assaulted a BNP leader for irregularities in preparing the list in the village.

The affected people said they can not take care of their IRRI-Boro lands because of lack of money to buy fertiliser and fuel for irrigation.

Jalil Sarder, an affluent farmer, was weeping in front of his damaged pucca house, its roof blown away by the tornado. He said his family was starving as he had nothing to feed them.

Rush of outsiders to see the devastation is another problem, said some victims. This is increasing the sanitation problem. Every day thousands of people from far-flung areas are visiting the areas to witness fury of nature, they said.

"We are fed up replying questions from visitors", said Saidur Rahman in Kuthipara village.

"We have no privacy at all", said Anita Rani, a housewife in Haldi Bazra village in Sunderganj upazila. Unwanted visitors are making relief and rehabilitation work difficult, said a volunteer of Gano Unnayan Kendro.

According to an estimate by Power Development Board and Palli Bidhut Samity, the tornado tore down 117 electric poles, snapping 14.20 kilometers of transmission line. Resumption of power supply is uncertain, PDB officials said.

The district administration estimated the total loss at Tk 25 crore. The tornado damaged crops on 231 hectares of land, razed to the ground 60 educational institutions, 46 mosques and nine markets, uprooted 12000 big trees and made 779 shallow tube-wells inoperative.

The government has allocated 200 tonnes of rice, Tk 12.5 lakh as house building grant, 1800 bundles of CI sheet, 500 tents and 500 cartoons of biscuits.