WaterAid Bangladesh on Thursday organised a national-level workshop titled 'Addressing resilience losses of climate-induced migrants in Southwest Bangladesh affected by COVID-19 pandemic', for sharing the learnings from a project to ensure its replication at governmental and other levels. The workshop was part of the project which aims to address the socio-economic vulnerability and exclusion of the climate-induced migrants, which has been further compounded by COVID-19, living in urban slums in Khulna and Satkhira. It was held at Lakeshore Heights, Dhaka. The event united leading voices in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and climate change sector to showcase the overall project, including its interventions, learnings and prospects for replication. This involves providing a comprehensive overview of what the project aimed to achieve, the key deliverables that were produced, the results and how the work can be carried forward. The learning-sharing workshop created a unique platform to connect relevant stakeholders catering to climate-induced migrants, allowing them to share their experiences, insights, and challenges. Old, polluting buses in Dhaka to be scrapped to combat air pollution: Rizwana It aimed to highlight the project’s contributions in addressing the plights of climate migrants clustered on the urban fringe, highly exposed and vulnerable to floods and waterlogged soil. As the project nears its end, ICDDR,B has conducted an endline evaluation to portray empirical evidence and learning from the field. Programme Lead-Universal Access Babul Bala’s presentation on the project’s rationale, visual representation of interventions, challenges and learnings,after  ICDDR,B shared graphical representations, statistics, comparison with baseline evaluation and recommendations that they have accumulated from the field. WaterAid Bangladesh adopts a bottom-up approach to zoom in on the real-life accounts of beneficiaries and engaging relevant authority to help foster institutional ownership in order to implement this project. Two beneficiaries- Rupali Begum (Shastho Surokkha Station and Grant Support recipient) and Jannatul Ferdous Irani (IGA Training and Material support) shared their back stories, current living standards and how they experience financial freedom and empowerment while Salim Sarower, Assistant Engineer-Satkhira Municipality, emphasized on misuse of water in daily activities. Parvez Mollah, Assistant Director-Department of Youth Development, expressed his willingness to support the youth in rural areas to deter migration to urban areas. Timely information more vital than food during disasters: Experts The chief guest of the workshop, Professor Emeritus Dr Ainun Nishat, Member, Advisory Committee of Climate Bridge Fund (ACCF), emphasised forgoing callousness of COVID-19 vaccination dosage, installation of Pond Sand Filters (PSF) and the importance of Rainwater Harvesting in high salinity regions. He stated, "Just like the heatwave we experienced this year, there can also be cold waves that we could anticipate. This is climate change, and its unpredictability, due to the lack of patterns, makes it even more challenging. To support people's livelihoods, we must focus on addressing these uncertainties.” Special guest Dr Md Golam Rabbani, Head of Secretariat, CBF, BRAC, appreciated the triangulation modality of the workshop and described it as “first-hand example of a multi-sectoral approach”. Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh Hasin Jahan warranted the need to weigh in on their failures and stated, "We often avoid failures, but it is important to reflect on our work and identify them, so we have something to improve on in the future. My key takeaway from this project is how we can scale up our learning in behaviour change more effectively. While resources are limited, we must allocate them wisely to ensure we prioritise WASH as an integral part of climate funds.” The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks from Nabolok Parishad’s Executive Director, Kazi Rajeeb Iqbal.

Three people were killed in a road accident on Satkhira-Khulna highway in Satkhira Sadar upazila early Thursday, said police. The deceased are Arizul Gazi, 28, son of Akbar Ali Gazi, of Jashore’s Jhikargacha upazila, Asadul Islam Fakir, 55, son of Shamsur Kabir of Satkhira’s Tala upazila, and Abdus Selim, 35, son of Abdul Aziz of the same (Tala) upazila. Confirming the matter, Sadar police station’s Sub-Inspector Biswajit Sarkar said a speeding truck ran over a motorbike leaving a biker and two pillion passengers killed on the spot in Binerpota BSCIC area on the highway in the early morning. Read: Two college students die in Moulvibazar road accident After recovery, the bodies were sent to Satkhira Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said. The bodies will be handed over to the families upon autopsy, he said, adding that no one so far has been detained in this connection.

Under the influence of the impending cyclonic storm Dana, coastal district of Satkhira has been experiencing rainfall intermittently since early Thursday. The weather is currently severe, with heavy cloud cover and darkness increasing with the passage of time. Considering the situation, leaves of all government officials and employees have been cancelled. A total of 887 cyclone shelters having capacity of accommodating 443, 000 people have been opened. There are around 700 kilometers of embankments in the district with 5 kilometers considered at risk. Read: Cyclone Dana: Maritime ports asked to hoist local cautionary signal no 3 Efforts to repair the risky dam are ongoing. Essential supplies, including baby food, dry rations, clean drinking water, emergency relief items, and geo-bags, along with boats, have been prepared. Zulfikar Ali, acting officer of Satkhira Meteorological Department, said that this district will experience heavy rainfall due to the cyclone with rising river waters in coastal areas. The cyclone is moving towards neighbouring India's Odisha and West Bengal states and it may not have a severe impact on the district, strong winds are anticipated. Explaining the preparedness, Satkhira Deputy Commissioner Mostak Ahmed said extensive measures have been taken so that people can take refuge at shelter centres.

The coastal areas of Satkhira district have been experiencing rainfall since Wednesday morning as Cyclonic storm "Dana" has formed in the Bay of Bengal. The coastal areas in Shyamnagar upazila including areas adjacent to the Sundarbans’s Gabura, Padmapukur, and Burigoalini are experiencing rain. Zulfikar Ali Ripon, acting officer of the Satkhira Weather office, said the depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclone on Wednesday and named ‘Dana.’  

Some 50 metric tonnes of mango of different varieties was exported to Europe on till Monday, authorities said. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), 50 metric tonnes of mangoes of Himsagar and Gobindobhog varieties are exported in the market of European countries including England, Sweden and Italy. Later, Lengra and Amrapali varieties will be exported in phases. Mango harvest in Natore begins today with Gopalbhog variety This year, the local administration has set a target to export 300 metric tonnes of mango and training was given to the mango growers in Kalaroa, Sadar and Debhata upazilas. But this year, the size of mango is not appropriate due to low yield of mango in Satkhira caused by the cyclonic storm Remal and drought, which is feared to achieve the export target this season. Saiful Islam, deputy director of Satkhira DAE, said this year the mango of Satkhira failed to achieve the standard export quality as spots were found in mangoes. Besides, the size of mango is not up to the mark. As a result, it will be difficult to fulfill the target set by the authorities. Special mango rail to start operation on Chapainawabganj-Dhaka route June 10 Rafiqul Islam, a mango grower of Bakal area, said he has 25 bighas of land under mango cultivation. He however, managed to export four metric tonnes of Gobindobhog variety and two metric tonnes of Himsagar variety mango to the European countries. Besides, the price of the exported mango is better than the previous year as he is selling per maund of mango at Tk 3200-3400, which was Tk 2400-2500 in the last year. Satkhira started to export mango in European countries and the Middle East in 2015. Read more: Naogaon district sets ambitious Tk 2500 crore target for mango sales

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibur Rahman on Saturday (May 25, 2024) said cyclonic storm 'Remal' is projected to make landfall in the coastal regions of Satkhira in Khulna and Cox’s Bazar in Chattogram by Sunday evening. Almost 4,000 shelter centres have been prepared in the coastal districts,  equipped with adequate dry food, he said while speaking at a press briefing held at the Secretariat. Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) may issue  great danger signal number 10 between 12 am Saturday to 1 am Sunday, said the minister. As Cyclone Remal approaches, tension grips Bagerhat’s coastal areas Currently, the maritime ports have been asked to maintain local cautionary signal no one and No 3 signal will be issued within a few hours, he said. 80,000 volunteers are ready to tackle the situation and all necessary preparations have been taken, said Mohibur Rahman. Cyclone Michaung: Tourist ship operations suspended on Teknaf-St Martin's Island route The State Minister also warned that parts of Satkhira and Cox’s Bazar could be significantly impacted by the cyclonic storm, with a potential 7-10 feet high tidal surge, heavy rainfall, and landslides in the hilly areas of Chattogram.

Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained two persons with 20 gold bars weighing 3.830 kilograms from Lokkhidari and Bashkol areas of Satkhira's Bhomra border on Thursday. They were allegedly attempting to smuggle the gold bars from Bangladesh to India, said a press release. 1 detained with 14 gold bars worth over Tk 1.41 crore in Satkhira In Lokkhidari, a team of 33-BGB Battalion conducted a drive in the area on Thursday afternoon and apprehended a man and recovered 2.420 kilograms of gold from his possession. The current market value of the seized gold bars is over Tk 2.13 crore. Two detained with 31 gold bars in Satkhira: BGB In another incident, the law enforcers detained Ashraful Islam , 24, with 10 gold bars weighing 1.410 kilograms from the Bashkol area this morning. The market value of the seized gold bars is more than Tk 1.24 crore. BGB seizes six gold bars worth Tk58 lakh near Satkhira border The detainees were handed over to Satkhira Sadar police station and the process is underway to hand over the seized gold bars to the Satkhira Treasury Office, said the press release.

Two farm workers were dead and 12 people were injured as a truck carrying them fell into a roadside ditch after overturning on Khulna-Satkhira highway in Tala upazila of Satkhira early this morning (May 16, 2023), said police. The deceased -- Suman Hossain, 35, and Abul Hossain, 46 -- were residents of Shyamnagar upazila in the district. Of the injured, only three could be identified: Farida Khatun, Arafat Hossain Mithu and Eshar Ali. Taposh Kumar Das, who also sustained injuries in the accident and received treatment from Satkhira Sadar Hospital, said a total of 24 workers including him went to Shariatpur for harvesting paddy a few days back. On Monday night, all the workers were returning home on a truck loaded with paddy as they got those as wages, he said. The accident happened around 5:15 am when the truck fell into the roadside ditch after overturning in front of Kumira Women's College on the highway, he said, adding that the helper was driving the vehicle despite their objection. Shawkat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Khulna-Satkhira highway police station, said the accident left Suman dead on the spot and 13 others critically injured. On information, members of a nearby fire station rushed to the spot, recovered the body from beneath the truck, and sent the injured to several hospitals including the Sadar Hospital, he said. Injured Abul Hossain succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, the OC said, adding that the truck was seized but its driver and helper managed to flee. Ten workers who sustained minor injuries returned home later, the police officer added.  

Elena, a Romanian tourist, has always wanted to travel the world on a bike. She has so far visited 29 countries. Elena came to Satkhira on Monday from India and is now staying at a private organization ‘Rishilpi International’, at Binerpota in the district. Elena’s Italian friend Andreya came to Satkhira by bike one month ago and he is a donor of Rishilpi International. Also read: Satkhira journalist, earlier ‘picked up by law enforcers’, shown arrested. Besides, at the invitation of Elena and Andreya, their friend Elierio also came to Satkhira through Bhomra land port on Tuesday. Elena said, “I am a tourist and I have been traveling for the last three years, and have already visited 29 countries. I like Muslim countries and I love the culture of the country. I am now observing everything.”

Law enforcers in plainclothes allegedly picked up a Satkhira journalist up on his way to home from an assignment on Monday. Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation, a human rights organisation headed by noted activist Sultana Kamal, expressed deep concern over the incident and demanded immediate release of Raghunath Kha, local correspondent of Dainik Projonmo Ekattor and Deepto TV, in a press release. It said the journalist went to Khalishakhali area under Debhata upazila on professional purpose and captured some photos. The law enforcers in plainclothes intercepted him on his way back at Day Night College roundabout and took him away - in fact there is no record of his detention. However that has been common across all the agencies for some time now. Read more: Missing journalist Sarowar found in Sitakunda On information, the victim’s wife Supriya Rani rushed to the concerned police station and other offices but they denied the detention. Addressing the role of journalists in taking the country forward, the human rights organisation demanded his immediate release.