Cyclone Remal kills 16, damages over 173,000 houses, 1.5 lakh hectares of crops: Ministry

Cyclone Remal has left a trail of destruction across the country, claiming 16 lives, damaging over 173,000 houses across 19 coastal and nearby districts and inflicting significant damage on the agriculture and livestock sectors.

According to the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry's preliminary damage assessment report, Cyclone Remal has claimed 16 lives nationwide and left 45.99 lakh people in 119 upazilas of 19 districts in dire need of assistance.

The cyclone has caused partial damage to 133,528 houses and completely destroyed 40,338 houses.

The most affected districts are Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Barishal, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Bhola, Feni, Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Narail, Gopalganj, Jashore, and Shariatpur.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) reports that crops on 1,53,630 hectares of land in 48 districts of the country have been affected by the cyclone. Of these, Aush paddy seedbeds and summer vegetables have been the most severely affected.

According to the DAE, 10,000 hectares of the 34,000 hectares of Aush seedbeds in the country have been damaged. Additionally, 45,000 hectares of vegetables, 34,500 hectares of jute, 4,244 hectares of sesame, 6,932 hectares of bananas, 4,650 hectares of betel leaves and other crops, including green chillies, have been damaged.

However, the DAE has not yet been able to quantify the extent of this damage in monetary terms.

"Crops in 48 districts have been affected. Aush seedbeds and vegetables have been the most severely affected," Md Tajul Islam Patwary, director of the DAE's Field Service Wing, told TBS.

"Work is still underway to quantify the extent of the damage in monetary terms," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock's preliminary assessment claimed the fisheries sector bore the brunt of the damage, with 71,231 ponds and enclosures wrecked.

The fisheries sector in the 13 coastal districts of the country has suffered losses of over Tk700 crore.

Barishal bore a significant brunt of the cyclone which impacted various sectors, including human life, embankments, crops, fisheries, livestock, habitat, roads, electricity, internet, and access to clean drinking water in the division.

Our Barishal correspondent reports that Cyclone Remal has caused widespread devastation across all upazilas within the division.

According to government departments, the fisheries and agriculture sectors have been the most severely affected. Nearly Tk750 crore worth of resources have been destroyed in Barishal in these two sectors alone.

Shahin, a resident of Nachnapara union in Barishal's Patharghata upazila, said that a significant amount of Aush seeds had been destroyed as the seedbeds were submerged.

According to the Barishal DAE, crops worth around Tk509 crore have been damaged. Of this, vegetables have suffered the most, with losses of Tk257 crore. The second most affected is betel leaf, with losses of Tk117.21 crore.

Barishal DAE Additional Director Showkat Osman said that 18,00,481 farmers in the division have been affected. About 25% of the crop produced on 18,209 hectares of agricultural land has been destroyed.

He said that 1,69,767 tonnes of Aush seedbed, Aush paddy fields, peanuts, chilli, moong dal, sesame, felon lentil, vegetables, jute, betel leaf, banana, papaya and fruit crops worth over Tk508.97 crore have been destroyed.

Several proposals, including government incentives and loan projects, have been recommended to the relevant ministries to compensate for the losses.