C T Online Desk: Satkhira district Department of Fisheries estimated a loss worth Tk8.46 crore as fish, crab, and shrimp on 1,655 hectares got flooded after the protection dam of Kholpetua River broke partially.
The 150 feet embankment, built for the protection of coastal areas collapsed due to high tide on July 14, causing immense suffering to thousands of people from nearly 3,500 families of nine villages in Burigoalini union of Shyamnagar upazila and 1700 shrimp farmers.
Three days passed, but the authority could not yet repair the broken embankment and the damages from the flood continued to increase till Sunday.
“We are preparing a list of the fish farmers who incurred losses and it will soon be sent to the concerned ministry,” said Anisur Rahman, Satkhira Fisheries Officer.
Pradip Raptan of the West Durgabati area said: “Shrimp cages and crab farms were washed away but fisheries department never came to check on us, once the representatives and administration came to the river bank but we ran to see them.”
Manindranath Sarkar, fisherman of the Arpangashia area said: “Our only demand is for them to build sustainable embankments without wasting billions of money by repeatedly constructing temporary embankments on the coast.”
Shyamnagar Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Tushar Roy said that he went to the Kholpetua river on Friday afternoon to estimate the loss of Tk8.46 crore.
Meanwhile, Sriram, a fish farmer, said: “I don’t know how the fisheries department got the calculation of loss of Tk8.46 crore. Their people have not done any supervision anywhere so far. If you calculate, then the damage is many times more.”
Jitendra Biswas of Porakatla area said that people have not received the necessary relief so far. Food shortages are emerging in the area.
The local Union Parishad Chairman said that only five kilograms of rice were given to the flood-affected families after the fourth day of the disaster.
Chairman of Burigoalini Union Parishad Haji Nazrul Islam said that on Sunday, a bag of rice was presented to the Union Parishad as a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The affected people have been called to the Union Parishad and given rice while kids were given milk and sugar, claiming that the MP will hand over the rice himself.
Shankar Mandal of Burigoalini said that he felt it was disrespectful to give this food to the UP of the disaster victims directly, unlike the previous times of sending help.
