Mir Khairul Alam, Satkhira
Coastal areas play an important role in the development of a country’s economy, safe food flow and protection of biodiversity and environment. But accordingly the coast is not being given importance. There are no effective measures to protect against natural disasters.

The catastrophic cyclone of November 12, 1970, which killed nearly one million people, has been listed by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the worst natural disaster in world history.

So this day should be declared as Coast Day by the state. Formation of separate development boards for coastal areas, construction of high sustainable embankments on the coast and construction of concrete embankments on embankment slopes and conservation of biodiversity should be emphasized.

On Tuesday (November 12, 2024), on the occasion of November 12, the speakers said these things in a human chain in front of the Shyamnagar Press Club in Satkhira at 10 am.

Shyamnagar’s voluntary organization Sundarban Student Solidarity Team, Sabuj Saghati, Upazila Youth Voluntary Coordinating Committee and private development research institute annually organized a program to declare November 12 as World Coast Day.

BARSIK Associate Regional Coordinator Ramakrishna Jowardar said Bangladesh is at extreme risk of global climate change, even without causing damage. We want Coastal Day to demand justice for coastal people. He also said, for the planned development of the coast, the formation of development boards, the raising of embankments on the coast and the construction of concrete embankments on the slope of the embankments, importance should be laid on the protection of biodiversity. Bangladesh’s 70-year-old cyclone on November 12 has been identified as the deadliest cyclone in the history of the world. It is the deadliest cyclone ever recorded.

Kumud Ranjan of Shyamnagar Upazila Sabuj Saghati, SSST Shyamnagar Municipal President Gazi Abdullah Al Mamun, General Secretary Tripti Biswas, Kohinoor Islam, Bidhan Madhu, Biswajit Mandal, Pratima Chakraborty, Barsa Gain, Osman Gani Sohag and others spoke at the human bandh.

Speakers in the human chain said that this day needed state recognition long ago. Nowhere in the history of the world have so many lives been lost in one day.

In the 1970s, the then government did not issue a disaster warning. There was gross negligence in the rescue work after the loss of life. One million people lost their lives in the coastal districts from Cox’s Bazar to Satkhira due to this negligence. Many areas in Bhola became depopulated. At least five lakh people died in this district.