Harvest paddy now to avoid cyclone damage: Govt

News Desk :
The government has asked farmers to harvest ripe paddy, mangoes and other crops immediately as part of an effort to save them from the impact of a cyclone forming over the Bay of Bengal.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will hold an inter-ministry meeting on Wednesday to determine a way forward as the storm looms on the horizon.

The depression intensified into a deep depression in the Bay and might transform into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday evening. It will be called Mocha as proposed by Yemen, reports bdnews24.com If it maintains its current trajectory, the potential cyclone will traverse the coast through Cox’s Bazar and Myanmar’s Kyaukpyu on May 14, according to a forecast by the Met Office.

It might cause gusty and stormy winds along with heavy rainfall, which may trigger landslides. Low lands might be flooded due to high tides leaving crops vulnerable to damage.

Kamrul Islam, public relations officer of the agriculture ministry, said harvesting paddy in the Haor regions was complete, while 60 percent of harvesting Boro paddy was complete around the country.

The Department of Agricultural Extension sent instructions to farmers to gather at least “80 percent of the harvestable crops,” including paddy and mangoes.

At 6 am, the depression was centred about 1,550 km south of Chattogram port, 1,470 km south of Cox’s Bazar port, 1,550 km south-southeast of Mongla port and 1,505 km south-southeast of Payra port.

After turning into a cyclone in the evening, it might hurtle north-northwestwards and turn into a severe cyclonic storm by Thursday, according to the Met Office. It is likely to coast towards north-northeastwards.

However, the cyclone might sweep the coast if it changes direction.