Patuakhali coasts exposed to cyclone

In recent times, numerous houses, educational institutions, markets, cemeteries, and places of worship in Patuakhali's Piprakhali have been displaced; and acres of land and embankments have been eroded by the mighty Payra river.

Due to the continuous erosion, the riverside village under Mirzaganj upazila is on the verge of being washed away.

People's fear in the already-vulnerable coastal area has become more severe amid the situation of the possible landfall of Cyclone Mocha.

Abdur Rahman from Piprakhali said, "I have heard that storm is coming... If a terrible flood occurs, where will I go?"

The 75-year-old -- who has lost his house, farmland and family graveyard to the river earlier -- demanded that the government build a durable embankment to protect the village from being disappeared into the river water.

Like Abdur Rahman, many have become landless due to river erosion.

Most of the levees in the coastal district were badly damaged last year and they are yet to be repaired. Also, some areas have no embankments.

Under these circumstances, Water Development Board (WDB) has started repairing the dilapidated dykes in some areas.

Jahangir Shikder along with his wife and three children had settled on the bank of the river Ravnabad in Kalapara upazila. However, last year, about 500 feet of the embankment got damaged by cyclone Ashani.

The fisherman said he managed to take his furniture and move to another embankment.

Now cyclone Mocha has increased his apprehension about the future.

In the cyclone-prone region, several dykes in various upazilas -- including Mirzaganj, Kalapara, Rangabali, Galachipa, Baufal and Dumki -- are in critical condition.

Anxiety is looming large among the people in those areas.

WDB has repaired embankments in some villages, but many areas are still unprotected.

Md Arif Hossain, executive engineer of WDB in Patuakhali, said the district's 18km out of the 800km dyke has been identified as risky.

And of the 18km, a 10km portion is riskier, he said. Meantime, repair work has started at Golkhali and Piprakhali areas in Mirzaganj.

He added that such repair work will start in other areas in phases.

Khalid Bin Walid, executive engineer of WDB at Kalapara circle, said 5.5km out of 520km of dykes in Kalapara and Rangabali upazilas are vulnerable. "Of this, half a kilometre is riskier," he added.

He said they are keeping information about the cyclone.

Meanwhile, they have stocked enough geo bags so that carry out immediate prevention if the levee in any area is broken, said the executive engineer.

In the latest update yesterday, maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra were advised to hoist local warning Signal 4 as Cyclone Mocha made its way to the southeastern coast of Bangladesh, according to the Meteorological Department.