Cyclone Aila

Call for long-term rehabilitation

23 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Speakers at a policy dialogue on cyclone Aila yesterday called upon the government, development partners and the international community to reconstruct the embankments with an updated embankment policy. They also called for taking a long-term rehabilitation programme with allocation of the budget for the coming fiscal year. The recommendations were made at the dialogue titled 'Swelled sufferings: Challenges after one year of Aila' at the Cirdap auditorium in the city. The Emergency Capacity Building (ECB) Project Bangladesh Consortium, a consortium of six international NGOs including Oxfam, CARE, Catholic Relief Service, Concern Worldwide, World Vision and Save the Children, in association with the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL), a network of 200 local, national and international development and civil society organisations and European Commission Humanitarian Office's partners responding to Aila jointly organised the discussion. Speakers termed the sufferings of Aila-affected people extreme humanitarian crisis. Mohammad Sayedul Haque, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on food and disaster management, spoke at the programme as the chief guest. Ahsan Zakir, director general of the Disaster Management Bureau; Aminul Islam, assistant country director of the Environment and Disaster Management Programme of the UNDP; and three lawmakers from Khulna region -- Nani Gopal Mondal, Nazrul Islam Monju and Sohrab Ali Sana -- attended the discussion as the special guests. Zialul Hoque Mukta, member secretary of the CSRL moderated the session with Harun or Rashid, ECB Bangladesh Manager, giving the welcome address. Oxfam GB Country Director Gareth Price Jones gave the vote of thanks in the discussion.