Article Author:
Associated Press
Al-emrun Garjon And Julhas Alam
BHOLA, Bangladesh (AP) — The Mehgna river swallowed the tin-roofed houses of Mohammad Jewel and Arzu Begum overnight in the south When in Bangladesh about a year ago, they were forced to leave their ancestral villages.
The next morning the couple took his four sons and fled to the capital, Dhaka. It is more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from his home in the village of Ramdaspur in the Bhola district, one of his worst-hit areas along the coast. An area where many villagers regularly lose their homes and land due to rivers flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
"We grew up watching the river. We live by fishing in the river. But now it has taken everything from us," said Jewell. Told.
``My heart aches for my village, my ancestors, and the past. This story is part of an ongoing series that explores the lives of people around the world displaced by rising sea levels, drought, scorching temperatures, and more. Caused or exacerbated by climate change.
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The great rivers of Bangladesh, such as the Meghna, originate in the Himalayas or Tibet, flow through the north and northeast of the country, and south to the sea. More than 130 rivers crisscross this low-lying country, some of which are prone to severe flooding.
Experts say climate change is causing unstable weather conditions in the country, resulting in rapid collapse of riverbanks and destruction of village after village. I'm here. During the monsoon season, which lasts from June to October, many rivers divert and devour the markets, schools, mosques and houses near the riverbanks.
Rising sea levels, erosion of rivers, cyclone storms, and saltwater creeping inland will displace millions of people, turning them into 'climate refugees', scientists say. at risk. According to a World Bank report released last year, Bangladesh is expected to host about a third of South Asia's domestic climate refugees by 2050.
When Jewel and Begum visited the family's old home in Ramdaspur a year after him, more homes had been washed away and the river was sweeping the new land. Jewell said the river never felt so close as a child, but he's getting a little closer each year.
"By the time we were adults, all our land and homes were destroyed by rivers. Where we stand now, rivers eroded in a matter of days."
He said the village once had small shops, teahouses, markets, I said it was full of green space. The land was fertile. But over the years, people have been forced to abandon their homes. He estimates that fewer than 500 people now live in the village, where he once had just over 2,000.
His wife's girlfriend Arzu Begum also feels pain through the remnants of her former community, but in recent years water has become abundant, making life difficult for the family.
"I was afraid of drowning, so I attached a rope to the door of my house and tied the legs of my youngest son. It moved towards me,” recalls Begum.
"These were all destroyed by river erosion and the people were scattered," she said, pointing to the homes of her friends and her neighbors.
“Some live on high ground, some in rental housing, some in temporary shelters by the dam. They have moved to Dhaka. We used to live in a large community, and now all we could see was a river and no one lived there.
"We became homeless," she said. I was.
More than 2,000 migrants are estimated to arrive in the capital Dhaka every day, leaving many coastal towns to flee.
In the north of Bangladesh's capital, Jewell and Begum's family will benefit from these projects as authorities build shelters for climate migrants and improve water supplies. Authorities are also working with smaller cities to designate it a "climate haven" that welcomes immigrants.
Experts say that limiting the emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming is critical to global It says it helps limit more dramatic weather events.
Now living in Dhaka's impoverished Mirpur district in a one-room hut built over a swamp, Begum and Jewel may be away from the swollen Meghna, but they are in troubled cities. They say they can't adjust to life.
"We had our own place and didn't have to pay rent. Our monthly income was enough to support our family," her Begum said. , recalled referring to life in Ramdaspur.
"Now we are forced to pay the rent of our house and spend so much money on food that we cannot support our family with just what we earn," she said. I was.
While her husband does "dirty work" in door-to-door and household waste sorting, which earns her Tk 12,000 ($136) a month, Begum has two separate homes. earns an additional Tk 4,000 ($45) as a cleaner in the Her income pays the family's rent, and Jewels hardly covers the rest of the family's expenses.
said he enjoyed living there and wanted to give his children a better life.
"I had a plan to raise my children properly and send them to school. But now everything is uncertain and I don't know how I will survive. can't take care of them," he said. ``My job is very dirty. 87} "I hate my job. But when I think about how I can live without working, I am calm. Life is not easy."
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