<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Khulna's Paikgasa upazila has faced the maximum brunt of Cyclone Sitrang, with local farmers notching up huge losses in the natural calamity.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Cyclone Sitrang made landfall in the coastal districts on October 24.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Though there were no casualties in Paikgasa, crops spread over several hectares and a number of fish enclosures were damaged in incessant rains triggered by the cyclone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to various government and private sources, around 112 fishing enclosures, 207 mud houses and crops spread over 187 hectares have been damaged.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Paikgasa upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md Tipu Sultan said that about 6.1 metric tons of fish across 112 enclosures, belonging to 83 farmers, have been washed away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Garuikhali union, fish farmers suffered losses to the tune of Tk30.71 lakh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Due to the rains from Sunday night till Tuesday morning, most of the fish enclosures were washed away. Besides, the fish enclosures along the Garh-Ikhali river suffered damages," Tipu said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Md Amirul Azad, senior meteorologist of Khulna Meteorological Office, said the district recorded a total of 229 mm rainfall in 48 hours to Tuesday morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, Paikgasa Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mumtaz Begum said the local administration was adequately prepared ahead of Sitrang.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"So, the impact of the disaster was less and no specific loss of life and property was reported," she said. "Besides, there were no reports of any embankment collapse in the upazila." UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>