Bula, Aug. 18 (BNA) When the tin-roofed home of Muhammad Jawhara and Arzu Begum swallowed up the Meghna River overnight in southern Bangladesh a little more than a year ago, they had no choice but to leave their old village.
The next morning the couple fled with their four young children to the capital, Dhaka, more than a hundred kilometers (62 miles) from their home in the village of Ramdaspur in Bhola district, one of the worst-affected coastal districts where many villagers are regularly missing. their homes and lands into rivers flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
“We grew up seeing the river, and we live on the river by fishing. We have now taken everything from us,” Joel said.
“My heart aches when I think of my village, my grandparents and my old days. I had no choice but to leave my hometown.”
The enormous rivers that run through Bangladesh, such as the Mahgna River, originate in the Himalayas or in Tibet, and run through the northern and northeastern regions of the country before flowing into the sea in the south. More than 130 rivers crisscross the low-lying country, some of which are prone to severe flooding, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Experts say climate change is causing erratic weather in the country, leading to rapid collapse of river banks and the destruction of village after village. During the monsoon season, which runs from June to October, many rivers change their course, devouring markets, schools, mosques and homes near their banks.
Scientists say millions are at risk of being displaced and becoming “climate refugees” due to sea level rise, river erosion, cyclonic storms and saltwater intrusion. Bangladesh is expected to have about a third of South Asia’s internal climate refugees by 2050, according to a World Bank report published last year.
When Joel and Begum visited their old family home in Ramdaspur a year later, more homes were washed away, and the river was flowing through new land. Joel said the river had never felt this close before as a child, but it did come close every year.
“By the time we grew up, the river destroyed all the land and houses. The place where we stand now will also be eroded into the river in a few days,” he added, just feet from the family’s old home.
He said that the village was once full of small shops, tea stalls, markets, and green spaces. The land was fertile. But over the years, people have been forced to leave their homes. It is estimated that no more than 500 people now live in the village of 2,000 people.
His wife, Arzu Begum, wandering through the remnants of their former community, is also feeling the pain, although in recent years abundant water has made life difficult for the family.
I raised my little boy by tying his legs to a rope attached to my door for fear of drowning. During the tide, the house filled with water and my young son was always heading towards the water,” Begum remembers.
“All these things have been destroyed in the erosion of the river and the scattering of people,” she said, pointing to the homes of friends and neighbours.
“Some live on raised platforms, some in rented houses, some in makeshift shelters on the side of embankments etc. I moved to Dhaka. We used to live in a large community. Now all you can see is the river and no one lives there.
“We have become homeless,” she said.
It is estimated that more than 2,000 migrants arrive in the capital, Dhaka, each day, with many fleeing coastal cities.
In the northern part of the capital of Bangladesh, officials are building shelters for migrants due to the climate and improving the water supply, but the Joel and Begum family are one of many families who cannot benefit from these projects. Officials are also working with small towns to identify “climate havens” that welcome immigrants.
Experts say reducing greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, especially in high-emitting countries such as the United States, China and India, will help limit more extreme weather events around the world.
Now in the poor Mirpur district of Dhaka, living in a one-room shack above a swamp, Begum and Jewel may be far from our bloated huts, but they say they can’t adjust to the tough city life.
“We had our own place and we didn’t have to pay any rent. Our monthly income was enough to run our family,” Begum recalls, referring to their life in Ramdaspur.
“Now we are forced to pay the rent of the house and spend such amount of money on food that what we earn is not enough for the family,” she said.
Arzu Begum stands by the door of her home in Mirpur slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 3. Muhammad Goel and Begum were forced to flee the village of Ramdaspur in Bangladesh last year when the Meghna River flooded and destroyed their home. The couple and their four sons moved to the capital, Dhaka, where they struggled to pay rent and food bills on their meager income.
Joel, who used to fish in his village, says that they lived there with joy and thought of providing a better life for their children.
“I had a plan to raise my children properly, send them to school. But now, everything is so uncertain that I don’t know how we will live. My children are growing up but I cannot take care of them.”
“My job is so filthy, I don’t feel good about sorting out all the bad things I collect from families in my rich neighborhood,” he added.
“I hate my job. But when I think about how to live without work, I stay calm. Life is not easy.”
HF