Cyclone Yaas Aftermath: Coastal region still reeling under water

There is no going back to normal for thousands of residents of the coastal region as tidal surges caused by cyclone Yaas left a trail of destruction on their houses, farms, fisheries and even roads.

Embankment breaches along the coastline affected many villages, flooding homes and washing away the belongings of some of the most underprivileged people of the country.

Several rivers swelled by one or two metres in different places, flooding vast areas of the coastal region, according to a special bulletin of the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).

Another statement of the FFWC, released at 9:00am yesterday, said, "The coastal rivers of Bhadra, Ichamati, Rupsa-Pashur, Shibsa, Daratana, Betnai-Kholpetu, Kirtonkhola, Tentulia, Swarupkathi, Kocha, Burishwar, Bishkhali, Surma-Meghna and Burishwar-Payra of Barishal, Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Barguna, Jhalokathi, Patuakhali and Bhola districts of Khulna and Barishal divisions are flowing above danger levels at different points which may fall below danger level in next 24 hours."

In Barishal division, at least 10.18km of embankments were ruined and around 80km were partially damaged, according to the Water Development Board (WDB).

Different rivers were flowing 10 to 111 centimetres above the danger level at different points.

Over 2,535 tonnes of fish were washed away as 17,209 ponds were flooded in different districts of the division, causing an estimated loss of Tk 82 crore to fisheries, said Anisur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Fisheries in Barishal.

In Patuakhali, over 600 tube-wells became unusable due to the tidal surge, said Fayez Ahmed, executive engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department.

Around 92km of village roads and 20 bridges and culverts were damaged in the district, according to the Local Government Engineering Department.

In Cox's Bazar, over 2,570 houses have been damaged. Embankments in Matarbari, Chowfaldondi, Kutubdia and Moheshkhali have been damaged, officials said.

Besides, over 2,000 tonnes of salt worth Tk 85 lakh were damaged, said Zafar Iqbal Bhuiyan, deputy-general manager of Cox's Bazar Salt Industries Development Project.

Noor Ahmed, chairman of Saint Martin's union parishad, said the island suffered severe erosion.

In Bagerhat, seven roads were damaged by flood, said Farid Uddin, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in the district.

The roads between Baruikhali and Morrelganj and Carebazar and Sannasi Bazar became unusable.

"People of three unions regularly use the roads. We are suffering a lot. Locals are trying to partially repair it for the time being. We urge the government to repair the road immediately," said Nurul Islam, a resident of Chaltabunia area in Morrelgonj.

In Khulna and Satkhira, coastal embankments were breached at 30 places, leaving over 100 villages waterlogged, according to WDB officials.

Koyra upazila is the worst affected area in the region, locals said.

[Our correspondents from the districts contributed to the report]