The government is relocating over 2.15 million people in 18 coastal districts to cyclone shelters in an effort to avert casualties and minimise damage of storm ‘Roanu’.

Water transports across Bangladesh have also been suspended as the Met Office says the cyclone at the Bay of Bengal may make landfall anytime between Saturday afternoon and evening.

The Department of Disaster Management officials said at a media call on Friday that the relocation started in the afternoon and the authorities had been asked to complete it within 8pm.

Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Shah Kamal said control rooms have been set up throughout the country to monitor the situation.

He said ‘sufficient’ space, food, and treatment have been arranged at the 3,851 shelters in the districts.

“We have taken all sorts of preparative steps led by the district administrations to tackle the damage,” he said.

The secretary said the Upazila and Union-level committees of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) have 55,000 volunteers.

Red Crescent Society, Rover Scouts, Ansar and Village Defence Party, and other organisations are also working with the CPP volunteers, he said.

Meteorological Department Director Shamsuddin Ahmed said the districts around Chittagong Port are under danger signal number seven.

“We hope we will not have to raise the level of the danger signal,” he said.

The ports in Mongla and Payra have been advised to lower the alert level to danger signal number five from seven while it is number six for Cox’s Bazar.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Director (Traffic) Md Mafizur Rahman cited bad weather as the reason behind the suspension of all sorts of vessels until further notice.