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Preparedness is the key

A.B.M.S.ZAHUR
BANGLADESH is a disaster-prone country. For centuries the people of Bangladesh have been living with natural disasters like floods and cyclones. They have the courage, fortitude and resilience to face these natural calamities. We hope that they will face the aftermath of cyclone Aila like they did after cyclone Sidr, which hit the southern part of Bangladesh 17 months back. We have confidence in our people.
We have made commendable progress in disaster management during the last few decades. Despite the good name it is unfortunate that concerned organisations and political leaders have left much to be desired from their services. Among the institutions that failed miserably the worst is the department of meteorology. The pre-cyclone warnings were carelessly sent out by the department.
In Patuakhali, where around 11,50,752 people are reported to have been affected by the cyclone, the department kept on giving precautionary signal number 3 throughout the night of May 25. The signal number was suddenly raised from 3 to 7 the next morning. It warned the people that the cyclone might hit the area after 2pm, whereas it hit at Sam (6hrs earlier) on May 26. It even failed to warn the people about the 10 to 12 ft high tidal surge.
From the report of the weekly 2000, it appears that local administration: concerned lawmakers and NGOs were all ill-prepared and did not show enough agility. Lack of food, medicine and drinking water caused immense suffering to the affected people. The concerned officers should be severely taken to task. If necessary, the gov-
emment may check whether the politicised officers were involved in this inaction.
Almost every year Bangladesh is hit by either cyclones or wind driven tidal surges, which cause heavy damage sometimes. If we see the re and. of the cyclanes, that hit Bangladesh we find that Barisal tops the list of cyclone-prone districts. Thus, Barisal deserves the highest attention for improving its condition.
The government has attempted to handles this crisis with dignity and courage, and in a democratic manner. It has not asked for international aid as such. The army has not been called. This approach may have created temporary difficulties, but will increase our self-confidence.
Though there has been good progress in facing natural calamities like cyclones and floods we have to further improve the quality of service. We have to take into account the fact that people in coastal areas are mainly poor. Their only means of livelihood is fishing. As a long-term measure the government may consider shifting some disaster affected people to countries like Myanmar. In fact, the government of Myanmar has asked for Bangladeshi tillers for cultivating in their fellow land. The government may take more interest in such proposals.
It is a matter of shame that some MPs of the four-party alliance government did not hesitate to utilise the relief goods for their own benefit. We should try to realise that some people affected by cyclone Aila were also affected by cyclone Sidr hardly 17 Drouths batt Thus, distribution qf^ef goods needs special attention.
The worst affected are the people of Khulna, Satkhira and Noakhali. Arrangements must be made for food, drinking water and medicine for them on priority basis. The damaged and destroyed embankments must be repaired or reconstructed at the earliest. The government should surely concentrate on rehabilitation of the affected people. Rehabilitation of agriculture must start immediately. The affected people have to be given agricultural inputs (such as fertiliser, seeds etc.) free of cost, or at least at subsidised prices.
The government must be well prepared for facing another couple of cyclones soon. Thus, it may issue directives to all concerned departments and NGOs to remain alert about future predicaments. As the AL government had shown its ability to handle one of the longest floods in 1998 successfully, we hope that this government will tackle the challenge of cyclone Aila just as well.
ASMS Zahur is a former Joint Secretary