wbiv‡eM wb¯ú„n Zvi mxgvbv †cwi‡q - ReliefWeb

on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people in one year
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†g 21, 2010
we‡kl `ªóe¨: cÖKvwkZ †jLvmg~‡ni gZvgZ
†jLK‡`i wbR¯^| Gi mv‡_ wmGmAviGj I Bwmwe
GKgZ bvI n‡Z cv‡i| Qwemg~‡ni ¯^Ë¡ d‡Uv
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on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people in one year
Planning and Editing
Mubashar Hasan, Oxfam
Editing Assistants
SoMaSHTe, Selim Kamal, Tanim Ahmed
and Yousuf Muhammad
Cover Photo
Abir Abdullah,
Europeans Press Photo Agency (EPA)
Back Cover Photo
Mubashar Hasan
Deisgn
Arka
Photo
Andrew Biraj: Thomson Reuters,
Anisur Rahman: Daily Star,
Moneerul Islam, Abir Abdulla: EPA
and Mubashar Hasan
Publisher
Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
(CSRL) and The Emergency Capacity Building
(ECB) Project Bangladesh Consortuim
Publication Support
The Emergency Capacity Building (ECB) Project
Bangladesh Consortium
Publishing year
May 21, 2010
Disclaimer: Published write-ups reflect writers’
personal opinion. ECB and CSRL do not necessarily
agree with these opinions. Photographers
contributed in this testimony own the rights of
their photos.

m~wP Content
†h bi‡K Av¸b †bB, cvwb Av‡Q : Avkxd GšÍvR iwe
wmwbqi mn m¤úv`K, ˆ`wbK hyMvšÍi
Victims of a broken promise : Nicolas Haque
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English
Av‡jvQvqvq AvBjv weaŸ¯Í gyL : cv‡fj ingvb
d‡Uvmvsevw`K, G‡mvwm‡q‡UW †cÖm (Gwc)
The poor ye shall always have with you : Tanim Ahmed
Assistant Editor, bdnews24.com
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ey¨‡iv wPd, Lyjbv, ˆ`wbK Kv‡ji KÉ;
cÖ`vqK, wewewm evsjv
Gabura: Where Aila hits daily : Muktadir Rashid
Staff Correspondent, The Daily New Age
So †_‡g‡Q Kvbœv _v‡gwb : kvgxg Avj Avwgb
we‡kl cÖwZwbwa, P¨v‡bj Iqvb
Testimony of a witness to the Aila havoc : Abir Abdullah
Photojournalist, European Press-photo Agency (EPA),
Bangladesh Bureau
cjvqbci Avwg : Ryjnvm Avjg
cÖwZwbwa, G‡mvwm‡q‡UW †cÖm (&Gwc)
Photo Testimony of the Aila Havoc : Andrew Biraj
Photograpaher,Thomson Reuters, Bangladesh Bureau
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wmwbqi ÷vd K‡imc‡Û›U, P¨v‡bj AvB
The nexus of nature and corruption produces endless miseries
in a storm-hit land : Wasim Bin Habib
Staff Correspondent, The Daily Star
†mB K‡e AvBjv Zvici G‡Zv w`‡bI... : Szgyi evix
wmwbqi wi‡cvU©vi, Avi wUwf
Testimony of a cruel game : Tapos Kanti Das
Staff Correspondent (Khulna), The Daily New Age
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÷vd wi‡cvU©vi, GbwUwf
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gyLeÜ Preface
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BDwbq‡bi RbMY Ges Zv‡`i wbe©vwPZ RbcÖwZwbwaMY
(hw`I mK‡jB bb, g~jZ BDwbqb cwil‡`i
Beyond diabolical apathy
Slowly but surely, people have at last begun to
return to their homesteads almost a year after
Cyclone Aila had destroyed their livelihoods and
shelters. It is very unlikely they will be returning
to a distinctly better life. In fact it might worsen
for some. But nonetheless even misery might
seem bittersweet under one’s own roof. The
people of 11 unions of Koyra-Dacope-
Shyamnagar in Khulna-Shatkhira districts were
the worst affected on May 25, 2009 when Aila
unleashed her fury. Since then, for almost the
entire year, the fates of about 400,000 people
have floated up and down along with the tides
falling and rising.
But that has hardly defeated the human spirit.
The people of those coastal areas stood up
against all odds while sympathetic people of
Khulna, Shatkhira and the capital city expressed
their solidarity by all means to get the attention
of policymakers. Even some of the policymakers
tried to highlight the dire plight of the people.
But the ghost of bureaucracy that Bangladesh
has unfortunately inherited from the colonial
era has sunk its roots deep. That sinister red tape
defied even today’s policy makers in such a
tangle that one cannot help but feel enraged and
cry out for the harshest punishment for those
responsible. Theoretically, if the political
authority of the state does not punish such
disobedience, it loses moral authority to govern.
In such a case the post colonial political authority
becomes nothing but a subservient of that
colonial bureaucracy.
So it is an obligation of the state to investigate
how a government agency like the Water
Development Board has the audacity to work in
favor of certain moneyed quarters, directly
opposing directives of the Prime Minister
herself as well as the Minister for Food and
Disaster Management. The entire winter has
passed and the embankments are still not fully

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repaired. The people who are returning to their
homestead and those who will return are still
faced with the same dilemma that they did
through the year — would they be safe? But who
will guarantee their safety? Who will vouch for
their protection?
But this demand for some sort of guarantee has
been voiced ever since Aila. It was not just the
union level public representatives who waged
their movements (with exceptions of course) to
attract the attention of the higher authorities,
but there were also citizens’ initiatives in Khulna
and Shatkhira under two banners of ‘Ailai
Bidhostho Badh Nirman Gono Shongram
Committee’ and ‘Aila Durgoto Shonghati
Moncho’ combining the social and political
forces of the districts. They have repeatedly sent
reports of what were happening on the ground
the needs of the people to the highest public
offices of this republic including the Prime
Minister’s Office. The Upazila and District
Administrations have lobbied too for completing
the repair work before the rains come. The
Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
and Nagorik Shanghati have organised series of
events. Six international non-government
organizations under the banner of ‘Emergency
Capacity Building Project’ and partners of
ECHO that had been working in the Ailaaffected
areas, also came together to strongly
ask for expediting the repair works. But all the
publicity through the organisations or through
the public media seems have had no real impact
whatsoever.
The journalists had given this issue much
priority. They went to the affected areas and filed
detailed reports. But the prevailing situation
born of a diabolical apathy compelled them step
out of the infamously clinical objectivity
expected of journalists. They have proven they
are not robots by producing the news through
following binary signals continuously. This
publication is merely a compilation of their
sentiments in that context. It is their testimony,
a testimony for humanity.
In which court should these testimonies be
placed? Human beings are the greatest and the
strongest. Be Humankind.
Ziaul Hoque Mukta
Member Secretary
Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL)

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Aila came and went. But the destruction remains. And just like the
ebbing tides flowing in and out through the broken embankments, so
do tears of the thousands.
PHOTO: ABIR ABDULLAH
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ˆ`wbK hyMvšÍi
evsjv‡`‡ki g¨v‡ci w`‡K ZvwK‡q Avgv‡`i GKevi bZzb
14/05/2010
K‡i mewKQy fve‡Z n‡e| GKLÐ gvbwPÎB Avgv‡`i e‡j

Victims of a
broken promise
NICOLAS HAQUE
estled at the edge of the
Sunderbany forest,
Nhuman
Gabura Island is where
meets nature. On my
first two visits before the
cyclone Aila, I had seen how the
rising sea level was affecting the
villagers as they were losing
land to the hungry tide and to
unscrupulous shrimp farmers.
The brackish water used for
farming shrimp had over time
rendered the land barren. The
villagers were on the move in
search of fertile land. But as
man continued to experiment
with its environment, Mother
Nature sent an unexpected
message.
On the 25th of May, 2009 Cyclone Aila struck
the region, leaving 200000 people homeless,
and scores of people dead. This was to be a
harsh reminder of how powerless man is in
the face of nature.
Natural disasters are not uncommon in the
wiwj‡di †bŠKvi w`‡K †a‡q Avmv gvbyl| cÖ‡qvRb Zxeª, ZvB cvwb †f‡O
†nu‡U Avmv|
Victims of a broken promise: People walking through the river at Padmapukur in
Satkhira to receive relief materials as roads went under water in June, 2009
PHOTO: ANISUR RAHMAN
the hungry some food. But as I walk through
Gabura Island, I see the same broken
embankments, the same villagers living in
region. After all, there are countless non
makeshift tents, the same dire need for food
government organizations (NGO's) in the
and drinkable water. And I feel the sense that
country, armed with foreign aid and devela
promise has been broken.
opment workers who live in the wealthy
suburbs of Dhaka and are paid to help
villagers 'Build Capacity'.
One would of thought that one-year on; the Nicolas Haque, Correspondent
situation would have changed for the better. Al Jazeera English
The homeless would have found a home and 13/05/2010
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
7

8
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07/05/2010

The poor ye shall
always have with you
TANIM AHMED
had been waiting for some time in strong Sure it was bad. Perhaps a little worse than
breeze for a boat. The breeze would have most villages affected. Perhaps a little better
Ibeen pleasant at any other place or even than other villages Í remotely tucked away in
under a shade. But the scorching midday sun the idyllic white shoals of Kurigram or the
of late March was a little too much for me to lush green hills of Khagrachhari Í that have
enjoy the breeze. I had been waiting for at not caught the eye of international NGOs.
least half an hour. The large country boat But there was nothing that jumped right up
would take me across the river Kholpetua to at your face. Nothing that stood out at first
Gabura. where I was hoping to find my story. glance.
Actually I had been waiting for two days So there I was, waiting for the story. Still
without any luck. sitting on one side of the boat, waiting for it
I went to Shyamnagar, a sub-district of to fill up. People piled on in their sleepy pace
Shatkhira to visit Gabura union, one of the that Bangldeshi villagers seem to be genetiworst
affected by Cyclone Aila to investigate cally infected with. Some had come from as
the state of the affected people ten months far as Shatkhira, some were on their daily
after the Cyclone. People had told me about commute.
the miseries of Gabura’s inhabitants. They I suddenly discovered that two small chiltold
me about their dire plight about living dren implanted themselves, completely
on the stretches of embankment that unnoticed, between a perpetually frowning
remained firm, how their livelihoods were man and me. He had located them before me
robbed by the cruel nexus of nature and and was already appraising the two with a
corruption. thorough disapproval as the younger of the
Those unfortunate people also told me how two, a muddy little boy of about five, kept
they were reduced to living on relief assis- sweating and soiled his white shirt.
tance. And for some of those who could go I wondered why the little boy was dripping as
back to their homesteads, it became fool- if he had just run a few miles. His sister was
hardy to do so. Evidently they seem to have wiping away the beads of sweat pouring
fallen victim to ‘moral hazard’. They were down his face with the free end of her ‘orna’.
told ‘stay in your makeshift shanty on the With the other end she covered a pitcher full
embankment and you will get assistance. Go of muddy water. There were two large plastic
home and you will have been considered bottles of mineral water also full of the same
rehabilitated and relief would stop almost at muddy water lying by the boy’s feet. They
once.’ Not many were willing to risk that in a were tied to the ends of an improvised pole
land where sweet water for drink is hard to that used to be a stout branch not very long
find. ago. Reema and Jainul were carrying water
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
9

10
home across the river. I was elated. I had
found my story.
The children seemed to want to squeeze in
even tighter between two adults desperately
trying to melt into the crowd. They were
Nievwoi mv‡_ †Ljvi gvVwUI Zwj‡q †M‡Q A‰_ cvwbi bx‡P| `iy šÍ
ˆkk‡ei ZvB Q‡z U †eov‡bvi m‡y hvM †bB, Av‡Q †Kvbµ‡g †f‡m _vKv
wKsev †h‡KvbI mgq W‡y e hvevi mskq
The gushing waters conquer all, homesteads and playgrounds alike, like
a cruel demon. But childish innocence is pure at heart and defies even
the demon.
PHOTO: MONEERUL ISLAM
actually trying to avoid the eyes of the
was a fairly long walk. As she walked down
boatmen who would charge them Tk 2 each
the shanty-lined earthen walkway of the
for crossing the river. Jainul bubbled with the
embankment with a pitcher on her waist,
typical energy of a five year old and was
Jainul failed to keep up with his bottles. His
excited at the prospect of buying candies
little feet simply would not listen. And when
with the money that his mother had given
the stranger from Dhaka insisted to carry his
Reema after several days of nagging. Reema
load, Jainul hardly put up a resistance. This
would buy them at a shop near the landing
of course earned me enough brownie points
station at Gabura.
and out of Reema’s earshot Jainul talked his
She tried to hush up Jainul several times as
heart out.
he kept answering my questions. Reema,
They had been back in their old house near
however, had strong reservations about the
the edge of 9th Shora village Í admittedly a
strange man asking questions that were
strange name Í for a few months now. We
none of his business. She eyed the stranger
went off the embankment into the barren
with a wholehearted suspicion that politely
interior of Gabura. I followed them down the
well-spoken men with pens and notebooks
path having a hard time keeping up with
rightly deserve.
Reema, balancing the pole on my shoulder
But I was determined to brave Reema’s
and crossing the many streams that flowed
contempt and follow her all the way home. It
in from the river. The barren land was plain

and almost entirely without vegetation as approval no matter how strong the need.
these generally housed large shrimp ponds. They too spoke of the misery of the people.
Jainul skipped along beside me. I kept A couple of weeks later I received a phone
wishing that the trek would be a long one as I call from 9th Shora village. They had gotten a
felt my shirt getting stickier on my back with tube-well and now people did not have to
sweat. Then I could come back and write spend hours to fetch water. They were happy.
how even a grown-up had a hard time doing And it struck me. I had seen my despair of
a chore that mere children were charged ‘not finding a story’ reflected on other faces
with. too.
So when after just about half an hour of brisk I remembered the heated discussions over
walking Jainul pointed to a cluster of huts the misery of the people and each expounddelightfully
proclaiming them to be his ing on their own perception of the pervading
home, my dismay knew no bounds. It was problems and impressing upon others the
hardly 3 kilometres from the landing station. uniqueness of their standpoint and their
Another half hour and I could have drunk the proposition to solve the matter once and for
entire pitcher. Would have made great copy, I all. Not too different from vultures fighting
kept thinking to myself. over a carcass. I remembered the mocking
The villagers were all excited. Convinced poem by Ross Coggins. The last lines read:
that now, at long last, something good would "Enough of these verses – on with the mission!
come their way, namely a tube well. I was the Our task is as broad as the human condition!
first person to come see them in the three Just pray god the biblical promise is true:
months that people had settled there, they The poor ye shall always have with you."
told me, giving due credit to Reema. æYou
lured this man all the way from across the
river, did you? You wicked you!” Tanim Ahmed, Assistant Editor
Reema partly glowed at her singular achieve- bdnews24.com
ment, and partly blushed at the innuendo. 10/05/2010
I took leave soon after asking the routine
questions and collecting the routine quotes.
Lines played out through my head as I finally
headed for the ferryboat after going through
a few more villages. The perennial question
was already nagging Í where to start the
story, how best to portray their misery.
Over the next two days I spoke to NGO
workers and local politicians. I spoke to
government officials and contractors
repairing the damaged embankments. They
were very busy with a meeting here, a
discussion there--three tube-wells in that
village, one pond sand filter in this one;
candies for the children, supplies for the
embankment.
The discussions were almost necessarily
pregnant with urgency, stressing the need
for resources. Then of course they had to
make sure that everything fit into the frame-
wi³ gvby‡li ïb¨ `„wó
work. One could not just be a cowboy and
PHOTO: ABIR ABDULLAH
give a go-ahead to something without prior
Empty look of a helpless person
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
11

12
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Refusing to leave their homesteads, hoping to return someday and begin afresh, thousands
live like refugees in shanties.
PHOTO: MONEERUL ISLAM
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06/05/2010

Gabura:
Where Aila hits daily
MUKTADIR RASHID
hen I visited Aila hit southwestern
part in the country almost after a
Wyear of the cyclone, I found that
farmer and businessman. Tahera, who is a
part of a seven-member family, told me that
before the cyclone Aila hit her area, her
crisis of drinking water, loss of livelihoods, father used to earn about Tk 30,000 monthly
health problems are a cruel reality for the from shrimp fry farming and shrimp related
people in villages of 9th shora and Kholpetua business. ‘Now, my father goes to River
under Gabura Union of Satkhira District. Kholpetua for catching shrimp fry and crab
After visiting those villages it appeared to me everyday as he has no option to earn except
that in those villages Aila strikes everyday. fishing,’ Tahera said. Rahim’s earning is now
Cyclone Aila hit the region on May 25, 2009. reduced to less than Tk 3,000 in a month. As
Though Aila was not so devastating like a result the living standard of the businesscyclone
Sidr in terms of killing people but its man’ family has been totally changed. Like
impact was severe as it created serious socio- Tahera’s father, living standard of many
economic and environmental imbalance. people in those villages fell drastically since a
On May 13, 2010 I saw the people in
Kholpetoa village needs to walk on average
large number of people have to live on
embankments as homeless.
four kilometers or cross the same distance by The government took several rehabilitation
small boats to collect drinking water, pro- programs but most of the implementing
vided by some local and international NGOs. agencies were idle, showing numbers of
The locals said that an international NGO in excuses derived from corruption. It would
cooperation with a local NGO were provid- have been more appropriate if a high powing
each family at least five liters water in ered and independent agency could carry
three consecutive days, which was insuffi- out the government orders in post disaster
cient with the demands for the 595 house- period. Or I wonder if a disaster manageholds
in the village. They alleged that the ment act empowering people’s right could
local lawmaker and peoples representatives
were yet to address such severe problem. ‘I
have saved thousands in this region.
do not find any change one year after of Aila
hit the area,’ Samiron Khatun said. I met
Muktadir Rashid, Staff Correspondent
with a madrasa student Tahera Khatun, 17, The Daily New Age
daughter of GM Abdur Rahim, a shrimp 15/05/2010
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
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They hope against all odds and look into the horizon whence
the sun rises and sets everyday. It seems almost as far away
as their hope for a better life.
PHOTO: MUBASHAR HASAN
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04/05/2010
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17

18
Testimony of
a witness to
the Aila havoc
ABIR ABDULLAH
was doing a photo assignment for and started cultivating shrimp instead of
Oxfam GB with its Oxford based farming crops. It was mere a shift in business
Iresearcher and filmmaker Sandhya Suri for them. But for others who do not have a
at Gabura area in Satkhira district of piece of land, the shrimp business just
Bangladesh. The plan was to make an worsened their sufferings.
interactive documentary on the effects of People of Satkhira saw raindrops after eight
climate change with videos and photo- months that year. It seemed quite relieving
graphs. We started our work on May 13, 2009 though the rains could not clam the area that
after visiting Gabura Village, one of the got almost charred by the scorching heat left
villages in the country severely affected by by the sun for eight months. But people got
changing climate. some water at least to drink during the rains.
Everything in the village was fine before. Also they did not miss any chance to store
Despite the crisis of drinking water, poor rainwater-- as much as possible. They were
harvests, increase in salinity and drought ecstatic and celebrating rain. I heard a little
villagers’ condition was not that miserable girl was singing in the rian. Only if they knew
until cyclone Aila hit the area. that a powerful cyclone was following the
During a trip to the village before the devas- rain!!
tating storm, we saw people of different ages After working on several cases, i.e landless
and sexes, women in particular, catching farmers, shrimp farming, attacks by tigers on
shrimp fry in the nearby river. The fry are villagers and documenting the visuals of
sold to the shrimp cultivators. The poor environmental degradation, we came back
villagers were quite happy with the river to Dhaka on May 24,2009. Nobody could
since there were hardly any other jobs there have even imagined an impending disaster
other than working in shrimp field although the very next day. I heard about a cyclone
the history of shrimp farming is new. warning from a friend in Satkhira but did not
We met a guy called Abdul Aziz in pay much attention to it and thought it was a
Lakkhikhali Village who was weeding at a false alarm.
field that was previously used for growing The next day, I was taking rest at home when
crops. But the increasing salinity in under- the news of cyclone Aila striking Satkhira
ground water left the field completely came to me at about 11:00am. I heard that
unfertile, 32-year-old Aziz said. It is the Gabura village was hit hard by the cyclone.
global warming that resulted in the increase Following few minutes I received a phone
in salinity in water. Many took it as blessings call from Sandhya Suri and got ready to go

ack to Satkhira. We packed up and started and dear ones.
our journey around 2:00pm. Within few There were several thousand hungry and
hours, we reached Aricha ferry station but exhausted people on the embankment. They
we had to change our route as no ferry was were not thinking about when they would
departing from the station because of rough return home. They were rather worried
weather. We had to have a detour and about the swelling water that might even
reached Gabura the next morning. worsen the situation and force them to move
It was the embankment in the village that further. The sky was gloomy and smell of
attracted our attention at first. There was a dead bodies of human and cattle made the
major breach in it and water was flowing atmosphere miserable. People were horriover
and through the embankment sub- fied. The army was supplying food and water
merging the entire village and forcing but it was far less than enough.
residents to run for shelters with their However I was on duty and started to capture
belongings on the broken embankemnt. I photos for European Pressphoto Agency.
saw many villagers still trying to collect Meanwhile panicked people were moving
essentials from their houses that submerged around to carve out a place to spend the
in the water. I also saw many others were night safe, as it was getting dark. At that point
cooking food under open sky. I heard kids one of victims turned to me and started
were crying in fear and in hunger. It was asking me where they would go now. “We’ve
surreal to me cause I was there couple of lost everything. There is nothing to eat or
days ago when everything was calm and drink,” he said.
quiet. I waded barefoot about five kilome- I did not have any answer for him. I turned
ters in knee-high water and reached a dry dumb thinking the condition of these
place where 13 dead bodies were kept. Of the people. I justify my position to me by thinkdead,
eight were children and the rest were ing what could I really do for them while I
women. It was nerve braking. I was the first was on duty? I am a photojournalist.
photojournalist to reach that place and Through my photographs I let the world
photograph the relatives of the deceased know about the tragedies of Aila affected
who were lamenting sitting around the people. Photographs speak for themselves.
bodies. Some were browsing through the The appeal of photographs galvanizes the
dead bodies to identify their missing near government, non-government organizations
and other humanitarian bodies to
come up with help. I have done everything I
possibly could with my camera to help these
people. However, now I become frustrated
when I see thousands of survivors are still
suffering almost a year after Aila. They need
urgent help to go back to their homes; it is
their right as the citizen of the country not to
spend as homeless months after months
under open sky and they should be compensated
by the government for living such a
miserable life for past one year.
Rb¥ †_‡KB Ae‡njvi ïiæ| Rxebfi eÂbv| Rxe‡bi †kl KqUv
w`b‡KI †invB †`qbv wbg©g cÖK…wZ|
Neglected at birth, persecuted through life, abandoned in old age,
nature seems to have robbed this man even of the proverbial last straw
PHOTO: MUBASHAR HASAN
Abir Abdullah, Photojournalist
European Press-photo Agency (EPA)
Bangladesh Bureau
he can be reached at abir.epa@gmail.com
02/05/2010
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
19

20
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G‡mvwm‡q‡UW †cÖm (&Gwc)

Photo Testimony of the Aila Havoc
ANDREW BIRAJ
“I’ve lost everything in the storm. My younger son is still missing. I didn’t even eat anything in last two days. Can you
please help us at least providing some drinking water?” Amena Begum stands in front of her temporary shelter on
broken embankment in Gabura Shatkhira, Bangladesh, after being displaced by a huge tidal surge during the time of
cyclone Aila.
“I don’t know when I will be able to move into my own house. The whole village is inundated by salt water. No one is
paying attention to us. Our children are dying in hunger. None but only God knows the end of our misery,” 65 years old
Hamida Begum weeps, as she chops wood to build a temporary shelter on a river dam. Hamida lost her everything
after been displaced by a huge tidal wave caused by cyclone Aila.
Andrew Biraj is a Thomson Reuters Photographer , 16/05/2010
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
21

22
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†bŠKvUv‡K Mv‡Qi m‡½ k³ K‡i euva‡jb| Zvici wb‡Riv
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Wv‡ji Afve GKUz KgB Av‡Q| Afve ïay cvwbi| Lvevi Rev‡ei A‡cÿv bv K‡i Avevi ej‡Z _v‡Kb, Avgv‡Mi †Zv
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GbwRIKgx©‡`i †KD| A_P †mw`‡K KviI †Lqvj †bB| ZvivI hw` Awbq‡gi wgwQ‡j †hvM †`b, Zvn‡j †Zv Avi
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mvsevw`‡Ki
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23

24
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PvB‡jB AgvwqK GKUv nvwmi †`Lv cvIqv hvq Zv‡`i gy‡L| †`‡Lb, Pviw`‡K ˆ_ ˆ_ cvwb| A_P gy‡L †`Iqvi Dcvq
Zv‡`i bvwK wKQzB Kivi †bB! f`ª‡jvK‡`i GB ÔAgvwqK †bB|
nvwmÕ KZUv wb®‹jyl, †mUv KvD‡K e‡j w`‡Z nq bv| IB - cïcwÿI _vKevi RvqMv Lyu‡R
cv‡”Q bv| cvwe
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BwÛqv| gv‡S cø¨vKvW© nv‡Z `uvwo‡q hvb| gš¿xiv †M‡j Zv‡`i m‡½
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MvQ †Zv g¨vjv| Ab¨ d‡ji MvQI wQ‡jv| Gnb wK”Qz
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bx‡i›`ª evey Avi K_v ej‡Z cv‡ib bv| Zuvi Mjv a‡i
G‡m‡Q|
05/05/2010

The nexus of nature
and corruption produces
endless miseries
in a storm-hit land
WASIM BIN HABIB
hen Oxfam’s Mubashar Hasan Satkhira. She was telling me, "You will not
requested me to give a testimony realise how it feels when your children cry for
Won the impact of cyclone Aila, I food and you have nothing to feed them."
was in a real difficulty because I could not She was among thousands who had to come
think of a proper introduction. It's not that upon the embankment with children since
the issue is complicated but because it has tidal surge broke through coastal embanktoo
many dimensions. ment during the cyclone.
Whenever I think of Aila affected people, I Five months later, when I revisited the
see images of hopeless faces, extreme affected upazilas in Shyamnagar, I found the
adversities, pain of losing near and dear situation even worse than the past as the
ones, hunger, crisis of water, struggles people were still living on the embankments
against the cruel nature and the people with no work to feed the families.
looking at a bleak future. Each of these By contrast, the government initially came
phenomena deserves to form an introduc- up with food and other modes of assistance
tion of this writing. and continued to provide assistance for a
Until now, I visited the Aila-hit coastal few months right after the cyclone. But it was
districts of Satkhira and Khulna three times. I not enough for them. Also, in my opinion,
personally am moved by the sufferings of media initially did not give due importance
people in that area. In fact the nature of their to it and those sufferers slipped out of
sufferings in past one year is inexplicable. It spotlight. On the other hand, the internais
like people are sinking deep into darkness tional donor agencies did not come up with
day by day with virtually nothing left to live. what they pledged before.
My first visit to Satkhira was soon after the Unfortunately almost a year passed and still
cyclone that ripped through the area and many people are living on the embankment
created havoc in people's life in May last under the open sky in three unions --
year. People were scrambling for food and Gabura, Dacope and Koyra. They are living a
drinking water. It has been a year since the miserable life with lack of proper food and
storm hit but I still cannot forget the few water or sanitation facilities, amid scorching
sentences of an aged woman of Gabura heat. Moreover, lack of work became a crude
union under Shyamnagar Upazila in reality. Many people left the area for safer
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
25

26
places especially in Satkhira and Khulna
towns after failing to bear hardships.
The reconstruction of embankments was
the main demand put forward by the suffer-
ers for past twelve months since they wanted
to return their homes and start their life
again. The government with the help of law
enforcing agencies and locals repaired the
embankments but many of the dykes swamp
broken during the gons (new-moon-tide),
inundating the areas anew, destroying their
†Rvqv‡ii cvwbi m‡½ `yb©xwZi wgZvwj, djvdj: `xN©‡gqv`x
gvbweK wech©q|
The nexus of nature and corruption produces endless miseries.
PHOTO: MONEERUL ISLAM
in peace forgetting these people who even
haven't got safe water to drink? They are the
citizens of the country and it is the duty of the
government to ensure their rights.
We want the people to go back to their homes
and lead decent lives. We want their immedi-
ate rehabilitation and also want that the
government to take necessary steps so that
hopes to save their last belongings.
the people would not become refugees once
I don’t want to go in detail about how such a again if any cyclone hits the areas in coming
large stretch of the embankments collapsed monsoon.
in a day but I found that the negligence of the Finally, we want to see that the government
authorities concerned and corruption in the is taking serious steps to track those corrupt
repairing work prolonged the woes of the people involved in reconstruction of the
survivors.
embankments and it is a necessity now to
We all know the destruction wreaked by have a law which will ensure the prompt
cyclone Sidr. But people of the Sidr-hit areas management of the disaster response work
restarted their lives after few months. But from responsible government agencies.
cyclone Aila, which might not be as strong as
Sidr, made the coastal areas a hell on earth. Wasim bin Habib, Staff Correspondent
The affected people could not return to their
The Daily Star
home even after a year.
07/05/2010
How do we the so-called civilised people live

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27

28
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It is like Waterworld, except without the glamour.
cÖej †e‡M †jvKvj‡q Xy‡K hvw”Qj, ZLb †KD N‡ii Pvjv,
PHOTO: MONEERUL ISLAM
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fvwm‡q w`‡Z n‡e Zuvi jvk| Avwg †KvbI DËi w`‡Z 01/05/2010

Testimony
of a cruel game
TAPOS KANTI DAS
have covering Aila affected areas regularly
for the past one year for New Age.
IWhenever I visit cyclone hit villages, I find
tial person, to build it. Villagers blamed the
breach of the embankment on substandard
work by the influential man. To no surprise,
everything is broken—people are living on it’s the ruling party people who received the
broken embankments with broken hearts in contract for all development works in the
broken houses. area. But they are using the problems of the
The policymakers were supposed to rebuild people to grab contracts and make money.
everything within this time. But corruption There I met Haripada who was telling me
among a section of people prolonged the about the increasing gap between two edges
hopelessness and frustration, which culmi- of broken embankment last year. According
nated into a sheer crisis of drinking water, to him, “The gap between two edges of broken
health and sanitation. embankment protecting the JaliaKhali village
On 25th May 2009 Aila had swallowed parts of was 20 feet to start with right after Aila now it
embankments that were protecting costal has widened to a 250-feet due to the negli-
villages in south-western Bangladesh. It also gence of the concerned authority.”
forced village people to come upon the He was also frustrated with the lack of drinkbroken
embankments or nearby highways in ing water. He was holding a jug that turned
Dacope, Koyra and Shyamnagar Upazaila. yellow because of the polluted water it
After Aila, many promises were made to contained. The water was not worth drinking
reconstruct embankments but the progress
was very slow. Many people in those villages
are still living in misery, as embankments
could not be repaired. Therefore, the swelling
at all but there was no other way out for
Haripada to quench his thirst. Haripada’s face
represents thousands of hopeless people
living in that area.
water of the river floods many villages on a The government does not need to conduct a
regular basis. mammoth task to bring the smile back to the
Jaliakhali village of Dacope Union in Khulna face of these people. They just need to ensure
district is among them. It is very difficult to pure drinking water and reconstruct of the
reach there since roads damaged during the embankment. However, these small tasks
cyclone are yet to be repaired. Edges of four- became mammoth due to the cruel corrupt
kilometer road from Kamarkhola to Jaliakhali nexus of a section of people. A timely decision
by the river Dhaki were filled with thatched by the related authorities and the honesty of
houses erected by the people who lost their the people in power could have mitigated
homes to the mighty storm.
their sufferings. In future to punish this cruel
corruption, a stringent disaster management
The embankment protecting this village was
law is urgent.
reconstructed in mid-February in 2010 at one
point but high tide of water washed it away in
just two days. Tapos Kanti Das, Staff Correspondent, (Khulna)
Locals said a contractor got the contract for The Daily New Age
reconstruction of the embankment but he 05/05/2010
assigned another sub-contractor, an influen-
Testimony of
Journalists
on swelled sufferings of Aila hit people
in one year
29

30
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K‡i‡Q| we‡Kj bvMv` cvwb †b‡g †M‡j †div KwVb n‡q †Lvj‡cUzqv b`x a‡i Avgv‡`i BwÄbPvwjZ †bŠKv PjwQj
hv‡e| ZvB Avgiv †divi c_ aijvg| gvbyl¸‡jv Qq NÈv `„wób›`b GjvKvi w`‡K| cvk w`‡q Pjv GKwU †bŠKv‡Z †PvL
†Rvqview›` _vKj, GLb †Rvqv‡ii cvwb †b‡g †M‡jI gyw³ †Mj AvU‡K| †bŠKvi cvUvZb DwV‡q we‡kl Kvq`vq cwjw_b
†bB, Kv`vq f‡i hv‡e cy‡iv GjvKv| bo‡Z cvi‡e bv| iv‡Z wewQ‡q wb‡q hvIqv n‡”Q cyKz‡ii cvwb| K_v ejjvg Zuv‡`i
Avevi †Rvqvi Avm‡e| †Rvqv‡ii kã Avi †f‡m hvIqvi m‡½| †h `yRb ˆeVv evBwQj Zv‡`i GKR‡bi bvg A‡gjv
Avk¼vq wbN©yg ivZ KvU‡e Zv‡`i| Ggb Rxeb nq gvby‡li? LvZzb, Av‡iKRb AveŸvm Avjx| cyKz‡ii cvwb †Kb †bŠKvq
Aek¨, Ggb bv n‡j- Rjevqy cwieZ©‡bi cÖfv‡e gvby‡li
Aw¯ÍZ¡ †h ûgwKi gy‡L, †m D`vniY ˆZwi n‡Zv Kx K‡i?
AvBjv`yM©Z gvby‡li Gme hš¿Yvi `„k¨ †Uwjwfk‡bi c`©vq
eûevi †`‡L‡Q gvbyl| DòZv, evZv‡mi MwZ‡eM,
mgy`ªc„‡ôi D”PZv BZ¨vw` M‡elYv K‡i we‡klÁiv A‡bK
Av‡M †_‡KB ejwQ‡jb, e`‡j hv‡”Q Rjevqy| Kvi `vq, †K
enb Ki‡Q, Kvi Kiv DwPZ, ÿwZc~iY `vweÑGme wb‡q
wW‡m¤^‡i wek¦ Rjevqy m‡¤§jb emj †Wbgv‡K©i ivRavbx
†Kv‡cb‡n‡M‡b| †Mjvg †mLv‡b| D‡Ïk¨Ñmvsevw`KZv|
Avevi mviv c„w_ex †_‡K Avmv Mveyivi g‡Zv RvqMvi
†jvK‡`i euvPv‡bvi Dcvq wn‡m‡e Rjevqy cwieZ©‡bi weiƒc
cÖfve †VKv‡Z wek¦ m¤cÖ`vq mwZ¨ mwZ¨ ivRbxwZi D‡aŸ© D‡V
GKgZ n‡Z cv‡ib wK-bv- †mwUI †`Lv hv‡e| Rjevqy
cwieZ©‡bi wkKvi Amnvq gvbyl¸‡jv G‡mwQj DMvÛv,
my`vb, gvjØxcmn we‡k¦i KZ †`k †_‡K| †mB gvbyl¸‡jvi
fx‡o †kvbv wM‡qwQj, mvZÿxivi AvBjv weaŸ¯Í Rbc`
k¨vgbM‡ii ke©vby bv‡g GKRb bvixi KÚI| wZwb
e‡jwQ‡jb, _vgvI Rjevqy cwieZ©b, Avgv‡`i euvP‡Z `vI|
kZvãxi me‡P‡q eo NUbv †mB m‡¤§j‡b Gme Amnvq
gvby‡li KÚ †Kv‡cb‡n‡M‡bi †ejv †m›Uv‡i wek¦ivRbxwZi
R‡g IVv †Ljvq nvwi‡q wM‡qwQj wK-bv, m‡¤§j‡b cÖvwßUvB
ev Kx- Zv we‡klÁiv fv‡jv ej‡Z cvi‡eb!
m‡¤§jb †kl n‡Z n‡Z wW‡m¤^‡ii 19 ZvwiL n‡q †Mj| P‡j
Gjvg †`‡k| AviI `yB gvm ci, †deªæqvwii †kl mßv‡n
AveviI †Mjvg mvZÿxivi †mB k¨vgbMi, †mB Mveyiv|
†f‡ewQjvg, †g †_‡K †deªæqvwi GB Kq gv‡m nq‡Zv fvOv
euva †givgZ Kiv †M‡Q, gvQyiv †eMg Avi Av¤§v` Avjx‡`iI
Kó nq‡Zv K‡g‡Q| wKš‘ bv, `„k¨ me Av‡Mi g‡ZvB| GB
†deªæqvwi‡ZI MZ †g gv‡mi g‡ZvB †Rvqv‡ii Rj XyK‡Q
euv‡ai fvOv Ask w`‡q| GZw`‡b †f‡O †M‡Q Av‡iv A‡bK
Ni| GjvKv †Q‡o †M‡Q Av‡iv A‡bK gvbyl| GKwU Kei
†`L‡Z †cjvg RjgMœ| A‡bK Lyu‡R
cvIqv †Mj Av¤§v`
Avjx Avi gvQyiv †eMg‡K| gvQyiv †eMg bZzb †bŠKv wKb‡Z
cv‡ibwb GLbI| Av¤§v` Avjxi †Pv‡L AÜKvi †b‡g
G‡m‡QÑ gviv †M‡j Kei †Kv_vq n‡e †mB K_v †f‡e|
†mB AvBjvi ci †_‡KB G GjvKvq eo eo UvswK‡Z K‡i
Lvevi cvwb weZiY Ki‡Q GbwRI¸‡jv| †KvbI †KvbI
my‡cq cvwbi cÖavb Drm Gme K~c f‡i †M‡Q †bvbvR‡j|
Water water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.
PHOTO: MONEERUL ISLAM
mvsevw`‡Ki
mv¶¨
AvBjv`yM©Z gvby‡li GK eQ‡ii
Rxeb-hš¿Yv
31

32
K‡i wb‡q hv‡”Qb, Rvb‡Z PvB‡j †h DËi G‡jv, Zv‡Z hZUv
PgK wQj wVK ZZUvB AvnZ njvg| cyKz‡ii cvwb Zviv wb‡q
hvw”Q‡jb cvb Kiv GgbwK wewµi R‡b¨I| hv‡`i †bŠKv
†bB ev hv‡`i nv‡Z GL‡bv wKQy UvKv cqmv Av‡Q ZvivB GK
K‡›UBbvi cyKz‡ii cvwb 10 UvKv K‡i wK‡b Lvq| GB
K_v¸‡jv ï‡b fy‡j hvB me Ôï× fvlvÕ| eÜ n‡q hvq `yB
†VuvU| wKš‘ Bwćbi ü`q †bB| †bŠKv GwM‡q hvq Ô`„wó
b›`‡biÕ w`‡K| †mB cyKz‡ii Kv‡Q wM‡q †`Ljvg, cyKz‡ii
cvwbevnx AviI A‡bK †bŠKv wf‡o‡Q †mLv‡b| Avi cyKzi
†_‡K Avbv †mB Lvevi cvwb msMÖ‡ni R‡b¨ me e‡qmx
gvby‡li fxlY e¨¯ÍZv|
Gfv‡eB Pj‡Q GK eQi| AvBjv G‡m †h †jvbvRj Dcnvi
w`‡q †M‡Q, Zv GL‡bv AvU‡K Av‡Q cyKzi-†Wvev meLv‡b|
†mme Rjvkq †_‡K †jvbvRj †b‡g hvIqv †Zv `~‡ii K_v,
euv‡ai hZ RvqMvq †f‡O‡Q Zvi me¸‡jv w`‡q eis GLbI
cÖwZw`wb XyK‡Q †Rvqv‡ii †jvbvRj| AevK jv‡M, GKUv
eQi P‡j †Mj A_P jvL jvL gvby‡li Rxe‡b GKUz ¯^w¯ÍI
w`‡Z cvij bv †KD; bv GbwRI, bv miKvi| A_P Gme
euvafvOv †jvbvRj †invB †`qwb KvD‡K, RxweZ wKsev g„Z|
Death is a great leveller. So are the flooding waters.
PHOTO: MUBASHAR HASAN
gvby‡li PvIqv †Zv AvKvkPz¤^x wQj bv| Zv‡`i †KD †Zv XvKv
kn‡i GKUv cøU Pvqwb, †KD †Zv bvbv `vwe-`vIqv Zz‡j iv¯Ív
Ae‡iva K‡i Rb`y‡f©vM m„wó K‡iwb| Zviv †Zv ïay †P‡qwQj,
fvOv euva¸‡jv †givgZ †nvK, hv‡Z Zviv Avevi euvPvi ¯^cœ
†`L‡Z cv‡i| wKš‘ kZ cÖwZkÖæwZ Avi A½xKv‡ii ev¯Íevqb
ej‡Z †M‡j wKQyB nqwb|
mgq Mov‡Z Mov‡Z AveviI P‡j G‡jv cÖvK…wZK `y‡h©v‡Mi
†gŠmyg| GLbI AiwÿZ Zv‡`i Rxeb| cÖK…wZi m‡½
Lvg‡Lqvjx AvPi‡Yi cÖwZ‡kva GLb wb‡”Q cÖK…wZ| Avi
my›`ie‡bi cÖwZ‡ekx GBme gvbyl hw` c‡ii †KvbI
AvNv‡ZÑKv‡Ri R‡b¨, euvPvi R‡b¨ AviI †ewk K‡i
knigyLx nq, ZLb mvgjv‡bv wbðqB mnR n‡e bv! ZLb
Zv‡KI nq‡Zv GKwU cÖwZ‡kva wn‡m‡e †`L‡eb †KD †KD|
gbRyiæj Kwig, ÷vd wi‡cvU©vi
GbwUwf
07/05/2010

End poverty Together.
CSRL