On the frontline of disasters Koyra remains ill prepared

Tidal surge-hit people of Koyra moving a child to safety. UNB_11zon

Khulna, Mar 10 - Koyra, on the southern edge of Bangladesh, one of the five upazilas of Khulna district, and the second-largest upazila in the country, is grappling with an insufficient number of cyclone shelters. It has only 117 shelters to accommodate more than 3 lakh people during natural disasters.

At times of disasters, residents of the upazila have to struggle in overcrowded shelter rooms lacking separate toilet facilities for men and women.

On the Disaster Preparedness Day on March 10, people of the upazila demanded women and child-friendly cyclone shelters to address problems.

A Coastal Region in Constant Fear

Koyra, a coastal upazila in southwestern Bangladesh bordering the Sundarbans, consists of 131 villages across seven unions and is surrounded by the Kapotaksha, Shakbaria, Shibsa, and Aarpangashia rivers, and is highly prone to tidal surges and flooding.

Every year, tidal surges during full moons and new moons cause embankments to breach, submerging villages. As a result, residents have to move to cyclone shelters, which remain their only refuge also during sea storms.

Deadly cyclones like Sidr, Aila, Amphan, Yaas, and Remal crossed this area of the country and fear of natural disasters haunts the people of the upazila. 

Insufficient Shelters & Growing Demands

According to the Upazila Project Implementation Office, there are 98 cyclone shelters-cum-educational institutions and 19 others under the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry and the Fael Khair Program under Islamic Development Bank.

Mizanur Rahman, 50, a resident of Jorshing village under the upazila, said, "Every year, we fight to survive natural disasters. We urgently need more cyclone shelters to ensure our safety during storms."

Murshida Akhter, a women’s leader from Koyra-2 village, said, "The existing shelters are not women and children-friendly. Pregnant women, adolescents, and menstruating women suffer the most. Women-friendly cyclone shelters have now become a pressing need."

Selina Akhter Laily, a member of Koyra Sadar Union Parishad, emphasised the need for "separate toilet facilities for women in every shelter."

Nirapad Munda, coordinator of the Upazila Climate Council, addressed that six out of seven unions in Koyra—particularly those near the Kapotaksha and Shakbaria rivers—are highly vulnerable. 

Officials stay abreast, yet hesitant

Sheikh Nazmul Huda, assistant project coordinator of NGO Jagrata Juba Shangha (JJS) at the upazila, said that committees are being reactivated to ensure proper maintenance of cyclone shelters in Koyra Sadar, Dakshin and Uttar Bedkashi unions, with volunteers and CPP members receiving disaster preparedness training.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ruli Biswas said that the government was informed of the need for additional cyclone shelters in her upazila. Steps are being taken to construct more shelters under government supervision. - UNB