C T Online Desk: Salt water entered 80 ponds inside the forest, destroying the source of fresh water.
The fisheries and livestock sector has suffered around Tk699 crore losses due to severe cyclonic storm Remal, said sources.
Besides, the authorities concerned fear major damage to the Sundarbans and its wildlife as it handled the cyclone first.
Twenty six deer were found dead at Katka Jamtala in the Sundarbans on Tuesday while the forest officials also rescued 13 deer alive after the 8-10 foot tidal surges under the influence of the cyclone flooded some parts of the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The violent storm destroyed a number of threes and inundated vast parts of the Sundarbans, destroying the abode of the wild animals, according to forest officials.
Salt water entered 80 ponds inside the forest, destroying the source of fresh water.
The forest officials are working to assess the damage to the forest resources and wildlife caused by the cyclone.
Mihir Kumar Doe, divisional forest conservator of Khulna region, said the Sundanbans witnessed an 8-10 foot high tidal surge on Sunday and Monday, resulting in inundation of vast tracts of the forest, including Katka, Kachikhali, Dubla, Shela, Nilkamal, Mandarbari and some other parts.
The forest officials buried the carcasses of 26 deer inside the forest.
Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, divisional forest officer of Sundarbans East zone, said a number of baby deer died due to the tidal surge and the death toll likely to rise further.
Meanwhile, different infrastructures of forest department were damaged due to the cyclone.
Besides, many educational institutions which were closed due to the storm started to resume their regular activities on Tuesday, said sources.
The losses in the fisheries and livestock sector were caused due to the inundation of ponds and fish enclosures, deaths of livestock and damages to infrastructure during the cyclonic storm, said the Department of Livestock Services and Department of Fisheries.
The two government institutions have made a preliminary list of the damage to fisheries and animal resources in Barishal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Barguna, Khulna, Satkhira and Chattogram districts.
According to the Department of Livestock Services, 50 cattle farms, and 30 poultry farms have been damaged by Cyclone Remal.
In addition, 1.5 tonnes of animal feed, 82,720 tonnes of hay, and 83 tonnes of grass were lost in the storm. Moreover, 4,605 goats, sheep and poultry died during the storm. The total loss in the livestock sector was around Tk1.41 crore.
According to the preliminary damage statistics available at the Department of Fisheries’ control room, 26,354 ponds, 40,804 fish enclosures, and 4,820 crab farms were damaged during the cyclone.
Besides, 18,379 tonnes of fish, 6,960 tonnes of shrimps, 826 lakh tonnes of fry and 135 tonnes of crabs were damaged in the cyclone. The commercial value of these products was around Tk653 crore. Meanwhile, 541 fishing boats were damaged by Remal. In total, the loss in the fisheries sector was Tk697.88 crore.
The Forest Department has recovered 30 dead deer from Katka sanctuary of Sundarbans due to Cyclone Remal. The officials are still searching the forest as they expect the number of dead deer to increase.
Education activities returning to normal
Educational institutions started to return to their regular activities after Cyclone Remal lashed the coastal areas and caused heavy rainfalls in different parts of the country. Many of the closed educational institutions in different upazilas opened on Tuesday, said sources.
The institutions which were still flooded may remain closed for another couple of days, said sources at the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHSE).
The DSHSE officials also said the disaster management committees headed by the deputy commissioners will take the final decision regarding the opening of educational institutions following the cyclone.
A general holiday was declared in several educational institutions, including Notre Dame College in the capital, on Tuesday due to the accumulation of rainwater in the college premises due to the impact of the cyclone.
However, an examination at Badrunnesa Women’s College in the capital was held in spite of the waterlogging at its premises.
Apart from these, the educational activities in other institutions were normal, said sources.
