In The City of Survivors

In Southwest Bangladesh, in most part of Satkhira & Khulna district, water is invading lands only to bring destruction. Though we used to know in our childhood Bangladesh is a land of waters but the recent scenarios are different. The lack of drinking water in coastal areas affecting millions life. Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.They have been living with waters all around but the struggle & plight of their lives remain with the waters.. In the whole area the normal flow of water has been ripped to shreds by the knife of “development”. There is no fresh water any more, only a salty, rotten corpse. Shrimp farming has choked off the very foundation of coastal agriculture. Long lines of empty water pitchers– waiting, always waiting. The scars of Aila on bodies and borders.

The whole landscape is surrounded by water though all salty, nor they have drinking water neither for cooking. Woman’s being so desperate to gather waters from various sources of nature like rain water preservation, filtering ponds waters compatible for drinking. So often they travel 5-7 kilometers to get fresh waters for their family. The salt distracted water causing their life into a stake. In the areas of harinagar, gabura, naobeki, jagannathpur, golakali people live with many threats of global warming, shrimp farming, tidal surge, drought, lack of rain, salty waters, fighting with tigers for space and the crisis of unemployment in the zone is relevant due to shrimp farming instead of agriculture.

As climate change, hurricanes and cyclones continue to affect the area, the fresh water that once irrigated farmers’ fields has turned salty, rendering the fields useless. Many people live barely one meter above sea level. Because of rising sea levels and shrinking forest, humans and tigers are fighting for space. The farmers are forced into the forest to hunt for honey, fish, or collect crabs, putting them at risk for a tiger attack.The fight & struggle is obvious in their life – some survives, some not but the battle continues.