Aila, tidal surge cost shrimp farmers Tk 40cr in Cox’s Bazar

Say businessmen
Fish and shrimp worth around Tk 40 crore have been washed away from more than 400 shrimp enclosures and ponds in seven upazilas of Cox’s Bazar district by cyclone Aila and the recent tidal surge, businessmen said yesterday.
The affected upazilas are Teknaf, Ukhia, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Chakoria and Pekua.
Some more shrimp enclosures are on the verge of destruction as most of the coastal embankments were broken by Aila, and the water level during the high tide is increasing under the impact of full moon.
Kabir Ahmed Chowdhury, a shrimp farmer of Ukhia, said shrimp worth around Tk 25 lakh was washed away by a tidal surge from his five-acre enclosure in Sunday morning.
He is one of the hundreds in the district.
President of Cox’s Bazar Shrimp Farm Owners’ Group Abdullah Khan estimated the total loss by Aila and subsequent tidal surge at around Tk 40 crore.
President of Cox’s Bazar Southern Region Shrimp Production and Suppliers Association Hamid Ershad said the tidal surge in the last three days destroyed shrimp worth around Tk 1.5 crore from at least 10 enclosures in Badshadia, Hawsher Dwip, Ulubunia and Hoaikkong areas.
As the water level during the high tide increases because of the impact of full moon, more than 100 other shrimp enclosures are reeling under threat.
In the current season around 70,000 acres of land for around 1,800 enclosures have been brought under shrimp cultivation in the district.
Sadar upazila Fisheries Officer Mizanur Rahman said water level of the sea during high tide is increasing above normal as the sea remains rough in the inclement weather and under the impact of the full moon.
Most of the shrimp enclosures were washed away as coastal embankments have already been broken, he said, adding that it is difficult to reconstruct or repair the embankments and the enclosures before the dry season.
Assistant Fisheries Officer Moqsud Hossain said 128 shrimp enclosures of a total 269 in Khurushkhul, Choufaldondi, Pokkhali, Eidgaon, Islamabad and Napitkhali under Sadar upazila have been destroyed.
He said as the embankments were broken, fish worth around Tk 1.34 crore from 128 enclosures have been washed away.
Sadar upazila apart, at least 300 enclosures were affected in Teknaf, Ukhia, Moheshkhali, Kutubdia, Chakoria and Pekua, and the amount of losses in these upazilas stands at around Tk 30 crore, said district fisheries department officials.
Most of the shrimp enclosures were destroyed as the protection embankments constructed by Water Development Board (WDB) were washed away. The enclosures cannot be restored if the broken embankments are not constructed again.
WDB Cox’s Bazar Executive Engineer Shamsul Karim said 154-kilometre embankments in eight upazilas of the district have been affected by cyclone Aila and recent tidal surge.
Around 10-kilometre embankments have been completely destroyed, while 58-kilometre embankments are under threat. Efforts are on to repair the 58-km embankments on an emergency basis, he said.
However at least 22 villages of the upazilas are still reeling under the threat of being affected by the tidal surge.

Courtesy of The Daily Star