In the aftermath of cyclone Bulbul

The number of deaths in cyclone Bulbul stood at 13 as per Monday evening. The total fallout of the storm could not been assessed yet, but it's certain that a huge number of people have been affected. According to the disaster management and relief minister's statement on Sunday, two were killed and 30 injured while about 5000 houses were damaged. By Monday afternoon it was assessed that 17,000 mud houses were completely damaged, another 35,000 houses were partially damaged in Satkhira alone and some 5,014 shrimp enclosures were flooded. A huge number of trees were destroyed. Returning home from the cyclone centres, a large section of the people found their houses destroyed.

Houses and trees in Bagerhat, Khulna, and Barishal, Patuakhali, and Bhola too, were damaged. Crops and vegetables were damaged. The worst affected were those whose homes have been destroyed. There are many children and pregnant women among them. Many of the homeless expectant mothers and sick children remained in the cyclone shelters. Poor people are already facing a food crisis and there is an overall crisis of drinking water across the whole area.

Initiative to ensure drinking water supply is essential. Government assistance is needed to reconstruct and repair the damaged houses. A huge number of people from the coastal areas including Satkhira are dependent on agriculture and shrimp farming for a living. As both of the sectors have been affected badly in the cyclone, employment crisis will intensify and continue for two or three months. Funds are required for these people during this period.

Cyclone Bulbul has affected the lives of a huge number of people in the southern parts of the country. The government needs to assist these people to make up their losses and start over. The sudden poverty caused by Bulbul may disrupt the state of health and nutrition for women and children in the region. The government must take necessary steps to tackle that.

The Sundarbans was a buffer that weakened the onslaught of the cyclone. The cyclone packed winds of up to 140 km per hour when the storm hit Bangladesh. It weakened due to the forest and the wind velocity fell to 100 km per hour. Once again the role of the Sundarbans in protecting against natural disasters has been proven. So any activities harmful to this largest mangrove forest on Earth should be banned without any delay.