* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Malini Morzaria works for the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) based in New Delhi, India. She covers Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives
By Malini Morzaria, ECHO
"We ran from water, and now we are waiting for more water. I have been on this embankment more than a year now. My village is under water, and there is only more water to come with the monsoon. I do not know what we will do," cried Shefali.
Shefali is one of the thousands of people who are still living on the embankments following Cyclone Aila's onslaught on the coast line of Bangladesh in May last year. Hundreds of villages were submerged. Farmlands and drinking water were contaminated by sea water.
Cyclones are common in Bangladesh. In November, Cyclone Sidr lashed the coast creating more destruction and loss of life than Aila. But while Sidr's survivors have begun to earn a living and rebuild their lives, aid workers say communities hit by Aila will take longer time to recover.
"After Cyclone Sidr, the water eventually subsided and people moved back to their areas although salination was still a problem," said one humanitarian worker who assisted both cyclone-affected communities. "The problem with Aila was the embankments that were damaged or broken and there was no where for the people to take refuge but here (embankments)."
BROKEN DREAMS
Jamad is 17 and his college education has been impacted by Cyclone Aila. "Near my village, the break in the embankment was small. It got bigger because the government did not repair the gap quickly as they promised." Jamad is angry and frustrated. "There is no more hope for any repair this year ... soon it will rain. So I think we shall be living like this for another year."
Jamad has had to leave college because his parents no longer have the means to support his education. But he is determined to work and pay his way eventually. "I will fish a little and do odd jobs," he adds. "It will take me longer but I hope I will manage."
Roshanara is 16 years old. She too was a student and loved it but Aila changed her life. "My family lost everything to Cyclone Aila. We came to this embankment, we live closely together on this narrow strip and the boys were teasing all the time. My parents felt it unsafe for me and forced me to get married."
Roshanara's husband has also been displaced by Cyclone Aila and she lives with his family on another embankment. Roshanara's mother laments the decision.
"It was a dream of mine and her father's that we would educate our girl. But it was too vulnerable for her here as a young girl with all these boys misbehaving. We had no choice and now who knows when we will be able to go back and then there will be more rain soon."
For Roshanara, this dream will not come true. "My husband is not educated and he works to support his family. They (my in-laws) do not want me to study. It is over for me."
