Cyclone Fani caused damage worth Tk 5b: State minister

The damage caused by cyclone Fani, which hit Bangladesh earlier this month, has been estimated to be Tk 5.36 billion, the government said Thursday, reports UNB.

It affected the environment, infrastructure and livelihood of the people when it swept across the country.

"The cyclone flooded 63,000 hectares of land and destroyed crops on 1,800 hectares," state minister for disaster management Enamur Rahman said after a meeting on assessing the damage and chalking out rehabilitation plans.

"The agriculture department suffered Tk 380 million of damage ... Recommendations have been made to waiver debts and provide subsidy to farmers in Fani-hit areas," he said.

Apart from this, Tk 2.51 billion will be needed to repair 21.95km stretches of embankments at 240 places, he said, adding that the damage to roads is about Tk 1.61 billion.

The forestry suffered a damage of Tk 50 million while the amount was Tk 28.4 million for fisheries. He said that Tk 780 million will be needed to repair 2,063 damaged houses.

"The rehabilitation will be done quickly at the prime minister's order," he said