Disaster management
Photo: AFP
This is simply impossible to draw the picture of death and destruction wrought by cyclone Sidr last year. The state machinery was engaged immediately in rehabilitation work along with other national and international agencies. As a result tremendous short-term success has been achieved and the government is actively formulating long term polices and projects now. We have to remember that Bangladesh is a cyclone prone country. We have been living through death and destruction due to natural calamities almost every year. We must look for permanent solutions to this problem. I would like to draw the attention of the agencies concerned to the following. Although we cannot eliminate the danger of cyclone but we would be able to reduce the extent of death and destruction if appropriate short and long term measures are taken. Steps should be taken to inform the people in time about cyclone and evacuate the people to safer places. Every household must have an underground waterproof cellar. Before the people leave for safer places they should keep dry foods and other necessaries in these underground cellars so that when the cyclone is over and people return to their home they can easily take foods stored underground until relief comes from government agencies and other organisations. Adequate cyclone shelters for humans as well as for livestock should be built. Deep tube-wells should also be sunk with these shelters so that safe drinking water could be made available during and after the cyclone. Buffer stocks of foods and other essentials should be built up in the cyclone-prone areas so that immediate relief could be provided from those stocks because sometimes relief materials could not be sent to the affected areas due to disruption of the communications system, and, above all, Bangladesh should play a vigorous role in drawing attention of the international community to the effects of climate change and seek international cooperation in this regard.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments