INDEPENDENCE.The long-cherished goal of Bengalis achieved at the cost of millions of lives and immense sacrifice. On December 16th. 1971, this message of liberation reached every corner of the country, from the state-stratum to every profession, nature and rivers.

The Bangladesh of our dreams started marching ahead with its 80% marginal and agriculturebased people. No more existence of mal-regime of any burgadars, aggressors or oppressors. It's time to move onward with commit-

ment. There are over 25000 kms of fertile land, which gives you plants when you sow seeds, and the seeds mean crops, which is the definite wayofliving.

The dream was like this - these people will never stop or face obstacles because they are enriched with nature's six seasons.

There will be plenty of food, shelter, clothes, and people's fundamental right. The world will look at this golden country with admiration. But, the rivers, which were the source of the natural resources of our agriculture, started drying up, and the people surviving on these rivers started chasing them. A very hard chase indeed!

Erosion of rivers is an inevitable calamity for the people living in the coastal belt. The map of the original country surrounded by rivers changed. The rivers, which were a blessing, turned violent, sometimes destructive, and ultimately a curse.

Nature changes everything -

our homes, crops, and the society as well. How long people can stand this? It is a chain of devastation, the victims of which are our unfortunate, landless, and aimless people.

Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Tista, Madhumati, and Bramhaputra --all these rivers are eroding in their own ways. And, in each and every community living on the riverside, the burden of sufferings of the river-eroded people is increasing day by day.

Thousands of unfortunate and river-eroded people of Mymensingh, thousands of unlucky people at the Meghna bank of Chandpur, millions of river-eroded people of Mymensingh and Jamalpur, or the people residing by the Bramhaputra ofGaibandha, the 22% alluvial-land inhabitants of the total land-area of Sirajgonj, or on the extensive Padma of Rajshahi, the life-sketches of the river-eroded people are all the same. Apart from this, countless river-eroded people's uncertain lives pose a threat to the urban life-style.

The freedom fighters, Meser Uddin or Aftab Hossain, can't reconcile the present situation with the dreams of independence, what they expected and what they got ultimately. They have turned totally destitute.

Sazzad Hossain lives in Gobindapur of Rajshahi. He came from India to Bangladesh during the Hindu-Muslim riot, exchanging his property. During that time, he led a happy life on the bank of Padma. He had wealth, cultivable land, and grew abundance of crops.

Due to repeated river-erosions, he became a destitute and was ruined. Standing on Char Jazeera of Poba Upazila, Rajshahi, he was saying: "Once you are a victim of river erosion, then there is no way to stand on your feet." He gives labour to the fields owned by others. He didn't get any lands of the river-tenancy...most of the lands are under illegal possession of the tenure-holders or Jotdars.

Chars are all around, as far as you can see. On one side, there are landless destitute people. With their lands eroded by river, their lives are also eroded. And, on the other hand, there are the violent land-dacoits and illegal possessors. Although there are no zamindars or neelkors anymore, these people are continuing oppression with a changed name.

Due to the river erosion and regular change of the river route, Rajshahi is faced with fighting for survival against nature's brutality. Only in Rajshahi, there are 73 alluvial lands, among which Bagha, Charghat, Poba and Godagari Upazila have 21 alluvial land moujas (land areas) alone, where at least 30,000 river-eroded people live.

Once upon a time, Padma was regarded as the mighty river... now it is only full of sand where there were households of the people and cultivable land. All through the day, there is hectic work of the sand-trade; trucks are running here and there on the sands. And, within this, there are the temporary households of the river-eroded people who are living somehow.

Cattle-sheds for the cows and buffaloes are there on the chars as well, and they shepherd others' cattle on contract. The ruins of the char have also engulfed the animals, which are given water from Padma. They don't have the capacity to buy cattle-foods. It's a real nightmare!

The fate of these river-eroded people lies in the alluvial lands, fighting for survival with nature's brutality. Although rivers have destroyed their lives again and again, they can't leave the rivers. The char is their final destination.

Here on these sand-lands, at some places we noticed a little bit of greenery peeping where there was cultivation. But, in this cultivation, there is no evident partnership of the alluvial land inhabitants. The landless people can't just

start cultivation in the free sandarea at their will.

The khaas lands are all under the possession of the landlords. Most of the landowners have an extra illegal possession of 4/5 bighas of khaas lands beyond their 10/12 bighas of actual possession. Here, power works, the poor having no value.

I noticed a group of kids who were cutting the arid top of the kash tree. They are of the new generation who are mingling entirely with the nature of the sand-areas. 10 years old Rubel has seen river erosion 4 times within the short span of his life.

Since his birth, he had been with the landless people. I recollect 40 year old Baniz, the van driver of Fulchori ghat in Gaibandha, who said the distress of the river erosion had started long ago and his father was also landless. Confronted with river-erosion, the number of these landless people has been growing during the last 40-50 years or so.

According to the experts, out of 489 Upazilas of the country, 150 Upazilas are affected by river erosion. With river erosion, the number of landless people is also increasing. Bangladesh faces a nightmarish picture, with the miseries of the people affected by the river erosion.

At one stage, there is no sign of Mouza, Daag, Khatian or Porcha or even title deed. All these are now memories, which have got no real value. Abul Kalam is a grocery owner of Char Jazeera.

He possesses some papers of lands, which has no value at all. The existence of alluvial land is also threatened. These ruined people, specially these landless labourers, are crowding Dhaka city ever)' day. A farmer who was quite solvent once upon a time is now facing a tragic life after migrating to the capital.

Many of them are plying rickshaws. but many of them can't get to manage that also. These people

also saw the dream of liberation and pledged to build a new country and society.

The millions of people affected by river-erosion are now living below the poverty line. 60% of marginal farmers are now landless and 3 crore out of 5 crore population are in the same condition. This number is increasing day by day. On the other hand, the size of alluvial land in the country is about 1800 sq. km. The people affected by river-erosion are also deprived from the civil rights as well as the laws of river acquisition and tenancy.

Even, the khaas lands belonging to landless people are under the possession of influential Jotdars. According to an estimate of economists, the number of landless families is 1 crore in the country and the size of khaas land is 2 crore bigha. If the huge land is distributed among the landless farmers, then each family can be the owner of 2 bighas of land. But, the Land Reform Act proposal is also ignored.

Lacs of destitute people of alluvial lands are moving from one alluvial land to another alluvial land without getting any help from any quarter. Even, the government has not helped them with improved agricultural methods.

During the last 20-25 years, NGOs have spent thousands of crores in the name of poverty alleviation, but has poverty been alleviated? The poverty is increasing with the increasing population.

Their miseries are engulfing the whole country but the government has no long-term plan and effective measures to address their problems. If these people, deprived from all sorts of rights, can't get back their rights...independence will be meaningless.

Shykh Seraj is Agriculture Development Activist and Media Personality and Director and Head of News Channel-i.