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Tropical cyclone Aila caused chaos in Kolkata and flooded coastal areas of West Bengal before making landfall in southwestern Bangladesh on Monday afternoon. River banks and mud houses in both countries have been flattened, and crops and fisheries damaged
Over 200 people have been killed and at least 500,000 rendered homeless by Cyclone Aila which struck the eastern Indian state of West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh on May 25. Officials say the storm has weakened but heavy rains continue to damage crops and cause floods and landslides in many parts. The Telegraph in Kolkata reported: “Aila has withered away but not before the beast worked its way up the spine of Bengal and wreaked havoc till the tip of the state in Darjeeling…” The situation is particularly grim in the mangrove forests of the Sunderbans, home of the rare Bengal tiger, where thousands of people have been left stranded by floodwaters. Army and border security guards have joined in the relief efforts, but they have yet to reach some of the devastated areas. “Our district is the worst affected,” Sunderbans district magistrate Apala Sen said of the area that straddles both the southeast of West Bengal and the southwest of Bangladesh. He added that 27 bodies had been recovered from villages in the region so far, and that the situation there was “desperate”. Numerous animals escaped and strayed into villages located in the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve in South 24 Parganas. Forest department officials have rescued one tiger and a few deer. Twenty crocodiles, which had escaped from artificial reservoirs in Bhagatpur, in the Sunderbans forest area, were also rescued. The cyclone has left thousands of people homeless across West Bengal, including the north of the state and in and around Kolkata. Villages are flooded with saline water, houses and boats destroyed. The affected are huddled on embankments and on top of the few remaining permanent buildings. Meanwhile, more than eight landslides have occurred in different parts of the Darjeeling hills, with road connectivity between Siliguri town and Kalimpong virtually cut off as a result. Train services were also affected; a number of long-distance and local trains have been cancelled. As the storm preceding Aila ripped through Kolkata, it caused unprecedented disruption in power supply in fringe areas of the city. Trees uprooted in Garia, Jadavpur and Santoshpur still have to be cleared by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), more than 24 hours after the cyclone struck. Uprooted trees falling on overhead lines snapped mainline wires in many areas resulting in long power cuts. Residents blocked the road near Charu market and Jodhpur park to protest the cuts. Some say water supply to their homes is also affected. Indeed, the municipal administration has been caught off guard as it struggles to clear major thoroughfares in the city clogged with over 1,200 fallen trees. The losses are expected to rise with severe damage to lamp posts, electric cables and almost 50% of the city’s billboards. Coastal areas are expected to report insured losses from hotel properties in tourist spots. In Bangladesh, the death toll has risen to 127 after dozens of bodies were recovered on Tuesday. Officials say nearly half-a-million people have been moved to temporary shelters. Witnesses say many are still stranded and face food and drinking water shortages. A top United Nations humanitarian official expressed concern over the loss of life and damage to property caused by the cyclone in India and Bangladesh, and has offered assistance to the victims. In a statement, John Holmes, under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, extended his condolences to the affected and said the UN “stands ready to assist as required”. Source: The Statesman, May 27, 2009
The Indian Express, May 27, 2009
PTI, May 27, 2009
IANS, May 27, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk, May 2009
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