Sit-in protest demands permanent embankments in Satkhira
Coastal protection embankments collapsed, leaving hundreds of villages flooded by cyclone Yaas in the district
Locals in Satkhira's Shyamnagar upazila did a sit-in protest wearing shrouds at Patakhali point on Friday at 10 am, demanding permanent embankments replacing the damaged ones to save the area from tidal waves.
The Mangrove Students Society arranged the programme two days after Cyclone Yaas hit coastal areas of the country. Hundreds of villages have been inundated in the district due to the collapse of coastal protection embankments.
"The tears of the coast are eternal. We have been floating since birth. From Aila to Yaas, every cyclone is a curse for us. We want to stay on the coast and be safe. We are protesting to draw the attention of the government," said Muhtaram Billah Badsha, of Patakhali village in Padmapukur union.
Yassir Arafat, also from Patakhali village, said, "For the last one year since Cyclone Amphan we have been hearing that the government is taking up a mega project for people on the coast. That project is still awaiting approval."
"Next year another disaster will come but the problem will not be solved so we are here, symbolic corpses on the banks of the dam," he added.