RAFIQUL MONTU

Before the start of the disaster season, there is a rush of house changes along the coast. People on the banks of the Meghna River are busy repairing their houses. Many people strengthen their houses to make them storm-resistant. People in vulnerable areas take many more steps to avoid the risks of the monsoon and to protect themselves from river erosion. Still, they face suffering. Their time of vulnerability passes through various crises.

‘This is our fight for survival. The monsoon brings great hardship to us. We prepare every year in anticipation of the disaster season. Our ancestors also fought to survive like this; we are doing the same. Our next generation may also survive like this.’ Selim Mollah (50) a resident of Kalkini village in Kamalnagar upazila of Lakshmipur district, was explaining his crisis.

This is not just Selim Mollah’s problem. Millions of people living along the 710-kilometre coastline of Bangladesh face the same problem. The monsoon brings a different kind of crisis for them. They know that during this time, storms will hit, houses will be swept away by tidal waves, and the damage will increase. They have lost a lot of wealth in this way for ages. Unless a cyclone hits, government or NGO assistance does not come. But small disasters cause a lot of damage to these marginalised people.

Jahangir Hossain (55) a resident of Dhalchar Island in Bhola district, spent one lakh taka to fix his house before the monsoon arrived this year. Ibrahim Mia (58) of Dhalchar, spent the same amount of money to fix his house. But both of them had to move their houses at the beginning of the storm season.

Statistics show that the scale of this disaster has increased more than before due to climate change. Despite various initiatives, it is not possible to reduce the damage or alleviate the fear. Just as the people of the coast were in fear ten to twenty years ago, they still have the same fear. They are not able to live safely and peacefully on the margins. Every year, huge amounts of coastal resources are damaged due to tidal waves.

Uncertain Life

Before the start of the disaster season, the sound of crying was coming from a house on the banks of the Meghna River. The surrounding air became heavy with the cries of men and women. Before the monsoon, a member of the family was saying goodbye to his family for what could be the last time. This was their cry of separation. The village’s almost 50-year-old house had to be moved from the banks of the Meghna before the storm season. Some of the seven families in the house have already moved elsewhere. The families are getting separated; the long-standing bonds of these traditional families are breaking.

This scene was in Charjagabandhu village of Kamalnagar, an upazila adjacent to the Meghna in Lakshmipur district. The existence of this traditional village is now almost extinct. Many people have been forced to leave the village and move elsewhere.

Such heartbreaking incidents during the danger period are not limited to this one house. This scene is common in the villages on the banks of the Meghna, and even across the entire coast. Visiting the villages of Char Falkon, Ludhua Bazar, Char Jagabandhu, Kalkini Motirhat and other areas on the banks of the Meghna in Kamalnagar upazila, one can see that many people are changing their homes ahead of the monsoon and storm season. Some are moving their roofs and fences to other places. Some are cutting down old trees and selling them at throwaway prices. The house plots, ponds, relatives’ graveyards, gardens — everything is falling into the grip of erosion. Farmers lose their agricultural land. Rich families become poor. Many people are forced to change their profession. A silent crisis engulfs the people on this margin.

‘Our fear increases during the danger period. The Meghna swallows up village after village. I have lost everything in my life to the Meghna. The Meghna has made me homeless. Finally, I started life from scratch. Life is going on in uncertainty,’ said Kamrul Hasan Mir, 40, a resident of Ludhua village.

Increasing misery

According to the calendar, the storm season begins on March 15 and ends on October 15. During these seven months, people on the coast face various types of disasters. The islands on the coast are mostly submerged in water. Houses are swept away by sudden waves. Many people become homeless and take shelter near embankments. Many people are devastated by storms. Yet, homeless people dream of living again and building houses. Now, coastal people are in such a period of fear. This period is called the ‘danger period’. This period comes repeatedly, making many people cry. There are fears that this crisis will increase in the future due to the impact of climate change.

The World Bank’s report titled ‘Bangladesh: Enhancing Coastal Resilience in a Changing Climate’ has highlighted various risks of climate change on the coast. It says that 27 percent of people in the coastal areas of Bangladesh are currently at risk of flooding. This risk of coastal flooding may increase to 35 percent in the current century. Currently, coastal areas suffer losses of about 3,000 crore taka annually due to floods. Cyclones cause losses of about 10,000 crore taka. Due to rising sea levels, the number of losses in Bangladesh may double in the current century.

Disasters not only destroy homes or land, but also cause extensive damage to natural resources. These natural resources are also the main means of livelihood for many people. During this danger period on the coast, various types of disasters, including cyclones, tidal waves, waterlogging, and erosion, occur.

Preparation is weak

According to field sources, many people in remote villages along the 710-kilometre coastline still live in fear of natural disasters. Fear increases when tidal waters rise, when tidal waves occur, and when cyclone signals are issued. From Shahparir Island in Teknaf on the east coast to Kalinchi village in Shyamnagar on the west coast, many places are in a precarious situation. In a very short period of time, Cyclone Amphan took a terrifying form, increasing the fear of the people of the marginal villages on the coast. Five coastal island upazilas and 18 island unions are at risk.

Mehedi Hasan Liton, Union Parishad Member of Kalkini Union, Kamalnagar, Lakshmipur, said, “The coast is not able to prepare for this time of risk. The old houses built over the years have to be moved from one place to another due to natural disasters. The government is as active in broadcasting cyclone signals as it is across the country, but there is no such government initiative to reduce the damage caused by river erosion and tidal waves.”

Sharif Hossain, a businessman from Dhalchar, said, ‘Dhalchar Island Union is almost lost due to erosion little by little every year. This island no longer has the capacity to withstand the impact of the monsoon. Every year, many people are forced to move from here to other places. But there is no government initiative to rehabilitate the displaced people.’

Residents of Jagabandhu village said that at one time, the distance from their village to the Meghna River was about ten kilometres. They earned their living by farming their own land. They never thought that they would have to leave their homes. But fate forced them to change their homes. However, no proper initiatives have been taken to prevent river erosion or to rehabilitate the people.

Stronger protection needed

Mohammad Shahjahan, climate expert and director of YPSA, said, ‘Due to the impact of monsoon winds and climate change, cyclones, tidal surges, salinity, and coastal erosion are increasing in this region. This is displacing a large number of people every year, especially due to the lack of proper preparation to deal with natural disasters like cyclones.’

He said, ‘A concerted effort is needed now to address the coastal crisis and prevent displacement, such as strengthening early warning systems, building sustainable infrastructure, and ensuring safe shelter and livelihood security for vulnerable populations.’

‘The ‘National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management 2021’, adopted by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MODMR) of Bangladesh, is a comprehensive and rights-based framework for addressing displacement caused by climate-related disasters. According to the strategy, it is necessary to reduce disaster risk, strengthen early warning systems and sustainable infrastructure, ensure rapid relief for protection, safe shelter, and special assistance to vulnerable people, including women and children, and ensure safe rehabilitation, livelihood reconstruction, and inclusion in social protection systems for durable solutions,’ he added.

‘This river has taken all our property. We don’t want to lose it anymore. We want protection for a normal life,’ Selim Molla said, raising his index finger as he walked along the banks of the Meghna River.

Rafiqul Islam Montu is an award-winning independent journalist focusing on environmental issues, climate change, and coastal communities.