Cyclone Reshmi has come and gone. It is now time to assess the damage it has caused in parts of coastal areas of the country. The picture is clear. A very large swathe of the coastal region has taken the brunt of the cyclone, with the result that as much as 30 per cent of the harvest has been destroyed there. Besides, hundreds of thatched huts have been battered, several lives have been lost and a number of fishermen have gone missing. In Chandpur, 630 hectares of vegetables have been ruined. Overall, therefore, the picture is one of devastation. What must now be done is for relief to be provided to the affected people in order for them to get back to a state of normalcy.
Obviously, the provision of relief is a serious matter owing to the destruction of crops. Only they who have incurred the loss know where the shoe pinches. The Aman crop being an essential component of the national agricultural productivity, the tribulations farmers in the affected areas have now been put into can only be imagined. Among the measures that the authorities can now initiate is compensatory agriculture. That can be done through a provision of seeds and financial assistance that will enable them to prepare for winter crops. With the Aman crop in a poor state because of the cyclone, all efforts must be directed toward ensuring a success of the Rabi crop. Such assistance must come swiftly and without getting bogged down in bureaucratic difficulties. In addition to the steps taken by the authorities, it is also important that non-governmental organisations and local communities come forward with their own contributions to a handling of the situation.
The season has historically and climatically been a cyclone-prone one in Bangladesh. The past is testimony to the devastation that cyclones and hurricanes have regularly caused in the coastal areas. That being so, a strong forecasting system and methods of handling post-disaster conditions are called for. Such systems have developed to an appreciable extent, but much yet remains to be done.