By Huang Yanan

    KHULNA, Bangladesh, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The cyclone affected people in Bangladesh are fighting for survival with insufficient clean drinking water, food and medicine.

People raft in the floodwaters in Khulna, southwestern Bangladesh, on May 28, 2009. At least 131 people died and 1,123 people are still missing after the cyclone Aila hit Bangladesh's southwestern coast on Monday, officials said on Thursday. (Xinhua/Qamruzzaman) Photo Gallery>>>

    Cyclone Aila attacked Bangladesh's southern coastal areas on Monday. According to the latest statistics from the Disaster Management Ministry, the cyclone has left 131 people dead, 1,123 missing and 6,500 injured.

    In Koyra Sub-District of Khulna District, 180 km southwest of capital Dhaka, what can be seen everywhere is water: houses are under water, trees are under water, paddy fields are under water, shrimp breeding plants are under water.

    Domiz Uddin, one villager in Dayara Village of Koyra, told Xinhua on Thursday 80 percent of houses in their village are damaged, and the homeless people are living in the open or makeshift tents made along the main road.

A man carries a sack of rice as he wades through the floodwaters in Khulna, southwestern Bangladesh, on May 28, 2009. (Xinhua/Qamruzzaman) Photo Gallery>>>

    "The biggest problem is drinking water. Before the cyclone, the villagers took water from the ponds or tubewells. After the cyclone, the ponds are polluted, and many tubewells are under water and also polluted," Uddin said.

    "The number of people suffering diarrhea is on the rise because of being inaccessible to clean drinking water," he added.

    Many people were seen queuing up to collect water from some unpolluted tubewells which are far from where they live.

    Mubarak Dhali, a local resident, said he walked almost one hour to a tubewell to get some water. "It is so inconvenient for us," he said.

    Yousuf Ali, a young man in his twenties, lost 5 members in his family and all the properties during the attack of Cyclone Aila.

    "My village is inundated. I have to depend on the relief goods to survive," he said.

    Khuku Moni, a woman of 27, is living in a market in Koyra town with her husband and mother because they lost their home in the cyclone attack.

    Compared with those affected people who live in the open or tents, some people are lucky to have a space to live in the government-run cyclone center, but the situation there is not satisfactory.

    In a cyclone center in Koyra town, Aziz Zaman, a primary schoolteacher who lost his house in the cyclone, told Xinhua around 500 people are living in the center with 100 people huddled in one room which is about 30 square meters.

    "There is only one toilet in the center. More and more people are suffering diarrhea. We need clean water, food and medicine," he said.

    The government is providing some food to the affected people but not enough for 3 meals, some people said.

    The Chief Executive of Koyra Sub-District M.M. Arif Pasha told Xinhua in an interview that the government is trying its best to help the affected people.

    "The government has sent some purified water, some ready-made food and 7 medical teams to Koyra," he said.

    Arif said Koyra is one of the worst hit places in the country with 41 people killed, 350 injured, 40,000 houses totally or partially damaged, 4,000 shrimp breeding plants destroyed.

    He said 150,000 people are homeless in the sub-district. "With such a big number, we need a lot of relief goods to meet the demand of the affected people," he said.

    Arif called on local and international organizations to come to help the affected people.

At least 131 people dead, 1,123 missing in Bangladesh after cyclone

    DHAKA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 131 people died and 1,123 people are still missing after the cyclone Aila hit Bangladesh's southwestern coast on Monday, officials said on Thursday.

    Ashrafuzzaman, official of the control room under the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, told Xinhua on Thursday that they have been confirmed by local officials of the affected districts that 1,123 people are still missing after Monday's cyclone which also claims 131 people's lives. Full story

World's largest mangrove forest to bear brunt of cyclone Aila

    DHAKA, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest in Bangladesh's southwestern part, suffered another blow by cyclone Aila on Monday before it could fully recover from the hit of cyclone Sidr in November 2007.

    Chief conservator of southwestern Bangladesh's Khulna region under the country's Forest Department Akbar Hossain told Xinhua on Thursday the damage caused by 6-10 feet (1.8-3 meters) water surges would be an additional burden for Sundarbans, spreading across parts of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. Full story