Cyclone Aila affected farmers of Satkhira demand immediate reconstruction and repair of cross-dam

SatkhiraLocal Fish Farmers' Association demanded immediate reconstruction and repair of the cross-dam, damaged by the tidal surge due to cyclone Aila last month, to cope with the loss incurred in the fisheries sector in the district.Local Fisheries Department said the extent of loss in fisheries sector in the district caused by the Aila was estimated at Tk 163.25 crore. According to the department, the cyclone that hit the coastal areas of the country washed away 4,712 mts of fish and 3107.60 mts of shrimp from 4,031 ponds on 428 hectares of land and 7118 shrimp enclosures on 26,030 hectares of land in the district.Besides, it has washed away fish and shrimp fries worth Tk 26.73 crore and Tk 93.21 crore respectively. The infrastructural losses were also estimated at Tk 39.39 lakh in the fisheries sector.General Secretary of the association Dr Abul Kalam Babla claimed that the cyclone has incurred loss worth Tk 500 crore only in shrimp sector in the district.The extent of loss will be many times more than the government statistics as 70 to 75 percent of the total fish enclosures were unregistered in the district. "That's why it is not possible to get the correct figure of loss of the shrimp sector", he said. The association president Dr Aftabuzzaman said farmers of the district produce shrimp worth Tk 1400 crore every year.The cyclone Aila damaged soil of more than half of the total shrimp enclosures of the district, he added.In this situation, the fish farmers said the government is yet to start reconstruction and repair works of the cross-dam damaged by the cyclone.They apprehended that if the government failed to reconstruct and repair the cross-dam, fish farming won't be possible at Pratapnagar in Ashashuni upazila and Gabura and Padmapukur unions in Shyamnagar upazila, where almost cent percent lands are used for fish farming.Executive Engineer of local Water Development Board (Department-1) Lutfar Rahman said the cyclone completely ruined 30 kms of the cross-dam and partially damaged 200 kms more.The WDB needs Tk 125 crore to construct and repair the dam, he added.Local acting fisheries officer M Abdul Wadud said the extent of loss could go up as the department has only estimated the loss of registered shrimp enclosures.He said that the farmers will be able to cope with the loss if the cross-dam would be reconstructed and repaired on emergency basis.