Local authorities in Khulna and Bagerhat districts on Monday said that vulnerable people would be evacuated to cyclone shelters to save lives as cyclone Sitrang was approaching the Bangladesh coast.
A flood protection embankment at Koyra and several other places of Shyamnagar upazila under Khulna were at risk of being damaged in the cyclone.
At Koyra, the embankment developed cracks at Harinkhola and Ghatirgheri Monday. If emergency steps are not taken then crops and houses will be inundated with saline water, said Koyra Upazila Parishad Chairman SM Shafiqul Islam.
Koyra Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Roknuzzaman said 1,500 volunteers are ready while shelters have also been prepared as a precautionary measure.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Moniruzzaman Talukder said that all the upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) have been instructed to take urgent action.
A 30km-long embankment that protects Bagerhat from high tide is currently at risk as well.
According to the Bagerhat Water Development Board (WDB), at least 100km of areas could go under water if Sitrang damages the embankment.
Authorities in Bagerhat said the government has kept a total of 344 cyclone shelters ready in nine upazilas of the coastal district, which can accommodate around two lakh people along with their cattle.
Mohammad Azizur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Bagerhat, said that the administration was working to ensure that the cyclone causes damage at a minimum, reported UNB.
“We've taken all-out preparations to face Sitrang by keeping dry food, medical teams and rescue teams ready,” he said.
In the district's Sharonkhola, Mongla, Rampal, and Morelganj upazilas, the local administration has been asking people through loudspeakers to go to the nearest cyclone shelters.
Heavy rains have been reported in the district.
Our Khulna correspondent Md Hedait Hossain Molla contributed to the story
