The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Nongovernmental organisations have rushed to the cyclone SIDR affected areas immediately after the storm to serve the countrymen.

Many of the NGOs already have started to distribute relief materials among the affected hungry people while some of those are drawing up rehabilitation plans.

Some of them were waiting for response from their parent organisations, as well as the donor agencies.

CARE Bangladesh rushed relief to the cyclone-ravaged areas to help the affected people. In collaboration with partner NGOs -- Prodipon, SAP-Bangladesh, RIC and Coast, CARE delivered emergency food ration, plastic sheetings, candles, and plastic water containers to 5,000 families. It has also provided 15 pumps to remove polluted salt water from the areas where it is likely to cause contamination.

CARE has sent five mobile water purification plants, each capable of producing 10,000 litres of fresh drinking water a day, to Khulna. CARE Bangladesh's new Country Director, Nick Southern, visited the most affected Tafalbaria Union of Rayenda thana and Sadar union of Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat district.

The team distributed relief materials among the cyclone victims in the relief camps set up by CARE partners. They also met local administration officials, media personnel, civil society members and local NGOs with a view to achieving better coordination among relief agencies.

BRAC has already allocated US$1 million for providing relief to the victims and livelihood rehabilitation operations. It is also hopeful of mobilising an additional US$1 million for disaster relief. A fund of Tk 500 per household is being distributed to those whose house were destroyed or damaged.

Muslim Aid Bangladesh Field Office (MABFO) distributed relief materials among 1,800 cyclone-affected families at Morelganj in Bagerhat district and Kolapara in Patuakhali district.

MABFO team distributed rice, pulse, salt, candle and match boxes as aid. Muslim Aid will also begin building shelters to replace houses swept away in the cyclone, set up sanitary latrines and sink tube-wells.

In response to the cyclone victims Association for Social Advancement (ASA) has waived loan of three instalments for its members who have been affected by the devastating SIDR.

Fowzia Alam of ASA said the NGO has already sent nearly Tk 2.16 crore to its district head offices for distribution among its cyclone victim members.

An 11-member director team of ASA is now in cyclone affected Barisal to assess the loss and needs.

Karitas is distributing food relief among 19,850 cyclone victim families in Barisal and Khulna. Karitas official Alauddin said they will also distribute household materials. Karitas already got Tk 7.47 crore commitment from its donors to distribute relief and rehabilitate the cyclone victims.