People in Pirojpur, a disaster-prone coastal district, are at risk during natural calamities due to insufficient cyclone centres.
Sources said most of the people in the district are poor and live in wooden and tin-shed houses. During long-term floods, they face serious insecurity.
Every year, natural disasters like flood, cyclone, tidal bore and storm, hit the district of around 12 lakh people and cause large-scale destruction. In this way, super cyclone Sidr in November of 2007 and Aila claimed many lives.
There are only 171 cyclone shelters and shelters-cum-schools in the district which are not enough to meet the actual need.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) Md Abul Kalam says there are 13 shelters in Pirojpur Sadar, 9 in Zianagar, 8 in Kawkhali, 50 in Mathbaria, 24 in Nesarabad, 8 in Nazirpur, and 59 in Bhandaria. Mathbaria upazila is geographically and by population the largest upazila in the district, consisting of 11 unions and one municipality, and is situated on the pivotal point of extreme natural disasters.
Though natural calamities cause widespread damage, there are only 50 shelters in Mathbaria, while in Bhandaria upazila there are 59 shelters for seven unions.
According to DRRO office sources, newly-built shelters have separate rooms for male and female and also have cattle, toilet facilities, ramp for disabled people and water source, but the shelters-cum-schools do not have such facilities. The sources said each shelter can accommodate around 200-400 persons.
The DRRO office has no update because different departments construct the shelters.
Abul Kalam said that had requested all project officers to update compilation report of the shelters.