SILVER SPRING, Md.--The recovery process continues in the aftermath of Cyclone Alia, which made landfall on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on May 25. The start of the rainy season promised fresh drinking water for the victims and aid workers, but with no rain in the forecast the lack of drinkable water has grown critical, reports the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
"The intense heat is stifling, making it very difficult to stay hydrated, " said Hearly Mayr, director for Public Awareness at ADRA International, while on the ground in the cyclone-affected region. "However, ADRA Bangladesh is doing whatever is necessary to provide the assistance that is so desperately needed."
In the severely affected villages of Asasuni and Dakope, rain is the only source of drinkable water. With daytime temperatures reaching 100˚Farenheit (38˚Celcius) and the humidity factor climbing to nearly 80 percent, villagers and aid workers are facing dehydration, which is presenting a challenge for distribution. Food has also become scarce as rising seawater destroyed many existing rice storages and saturated large areas of farmland, making them unusable for months, and possibly years. Freshwater ponds have been filled with seawater placing a tremendous strain on the supply of clean drinking water in the area.
This has prompted thousands of residents, who four weeks ago were forced to relocate from low-lying areas to the top of a local dyke in one of the affected areas, to seek water sources farther away in other communities. For many, this has meant traveling by boat, often in overcrowded conditions, or swimming across flooded areas.
ADRA has begun the process of rehabilitating ponds by using hydro pumps to pull salt water from them. In addition, ADRA is also in the process of distributing emergency food packages to 8,000 households, representing approximately 44,000 individuals. Currently, 3,200 beneficiaries have been reached with these food packages that contain enough food to sustain a family of five for two weeks.
Funding for these efforts have been provided by ADRA New Zealand, ADRA International, ADRA Australia, ADRA Canada and ADRA United Kingdom for an estimated $47,000.
The greatest lasting impact of Cyclone Aila, however, has been on the livelihoods of local residents, who have seen their farmlands and future harvests decimated by the extensive flooding. As a result, the local economy has been affected sharply, as the cyclone arrived only weeks ahead of the current rainy season, a situation that will likely add to the existing flooding problem.
"There is no way the water is going to dry up quickly now that the rainy season has arrived," said Siraj Mollik, a member of the local Sutarkahti union council. "The damage will take years to recover." He adds, "[Cyclone] Sidr destroyed our homes, but Aila destroyed our livelihoods."
Cyclone Aila made landfall on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh on May 25 killing approximately 180 people, displacing more than 500,000, and destroying homes, businesses, and thousands of acres of cropland.
Updates will be released as response efforts expand.
To send your contribution to ADRA's Emergency Response Fund, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at www.adra.org.
ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.
For more information, visit www.adra.org.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
Child workers collect dry leather in front of a tannery at the Hazaribagh area in Dhaka June 24, 2009. Bangladesh's High Court has ordered the closure of all tanneries and factories ...
