Report by Journalist Zahida Parvez Chanda from Dhaka
Every year during the monsoon season, the agricultural workforce of Bangladesh, especially those living by the rivers, is gripped by fear of excessive rainfall and early floods. This time of the year, worries about floods steal people’s sleep. Farmers, fish cultivators, and other rural workers involved in the agricultural economy spend this period in an unknown terror. Due to climate change, every two to three years, thousands of unfortunate people in rural areas are left destitute by excessive rain and devastating floods.
However, in this age of modern information technology, the extent of damage to Bangladesh’s agricultural economy from excessive rain or floods has been significantly reduced by early weather forecasts provided to marginalized communities by government and non-governmental organizations. People can now receive advance weather warnings and decide on their course of action, thereby reducing losses. Here’s a report on this matter by journalist Zahida Parvez Chanda from Dhaka:
‘How would you feel if you woke up one day to find your house, home, and yard submerged in water? Your cattle, goats, or poultry are being swept away by the floodwaters. The crops you rely on to support your family for the entire year are underwater?’ Putul Rani posed this question to the reporter, continuing, ‘You’ve harvested your paddy, but you can’t parboil and dry it because your yard is full of water. Your little child has gone out of sight and disappeared forever. You can’t feed your helpless cattle and goats. After the water recedes, you’re at a loss about what to do, driven to desperation by usurious loans. The people of this area have witnessed countless such incidents, like seeing their dreams drown before their eyes,’ said Putul Rani.
Flood-affected Chinir Patol Jola Para in Saghata, Gaibandha.
Putul Rani, a resident of Chinir Potol JolaPara in Saghatta, Gaibandha, mentioned that her father and grandfathers were almost ruined while coping with natural disasters. In 2019, Putul couldn’t harvest her paddy due to a sudden devastating flood. She said she still hasn’t forgotten the hardships of that time.
Every year, this area experiences floods, and every year new problems arise. However, the 2019 flood was particularly devastating. During that time, the low-lying areas of Gaibandha were submerged overnight before the villagers could even comprehend what was happening. Roads, pathways, homesteads, and cultivated lands were all submerged. Many couldn’t harvest their crops. That terrifying memory still haunts the people of this area.
The water from the water pump has been contaminated due to the ingress of flood water. Therefore, a farmer has gone out to collect pure drinking water after breaking the flood water.
Recalling that time, Jhumi Begum of Chinir Potol village in Saghatta, Gaibandha, said, ‘Before, we had no direction, nothing. When the floodwaters started to come, our hearts pounded. Now it’s not like that. Now, whether it’s a flood or a storm or rain, we know before it comes. We can move our cattle, goats, and poultry. If there’s paddy in the field, we know what to do. Now they send messages in advance.’
‘We never even imagined that a message could save us so much. We now understand before the water enters our homes.’
Another person interrupted her, saying, ‘It’s not just about rising water. We now know everything in advance. What to do if there’s lightning, how to maintain the roads when the water rises, and so much more we’ve learned in the last two years. When I was little, oh, the hardships I endured.’
This is how Jhumi Begum, Latifa Banu, Shilpi Begum, Putul Rani, Abdur Razzak, Sabina Begum, Sonali Rani, and many others from Saghatta Union, eight miles from Gaibandha town, shared their hardships and relief.
Bangladesh is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Due to climate change, geographical location, and weak infrastructure, the country experiences some form of natural disaster almost every year, such as cyclones, floods, river erosion, droughts, lightning, and tidal surges. Particularly, the poor people in rural areas bear the direct and severe impact of these disasters.
Gaibandha is a courageous district that has fought against these disasters. The way the people of this district have battled and progressed through floods, droughts, and famines at various times is a history of struggle.
Khandaker Zahid Sarwar, Deputy Director of SKS Foundation, a non-governmental organization working in remote areas of Gaibandha, stated that infrastructural weaknesses, lack of proper preparation, and limited government and non-governmental assistance exacerbate this crisis.
Zahid Sarwar also worked as the Focal Person for the Sufal (2) project, supported by CARE Bangladesh. He said, ‘It is not possible for an individual to fight and survive natural disasters. To win this battle, a collective, planned, and humanitarian disaster management framework is needed.’
According to him, it is crucial to apply separate strategies for the poor and marginalized people in disaster-prone areas. Disaster is not just a natural calamity; it is also a test of social and economic security. He added that the impact of disasters can be significantly reduced through planning, awareness, and sincere initiatives.
In the past, the people of the northern region were afflicted by ‘monga’ (seasonal famine), floods, and famines, but that is no longer the case. Monga is now a thing of the past. People no longer suffer the same level of loss from floods as before. The people of the area attribute this to government patronage as well as cooperation from non-governmental organizations.
Ms. Kamrun Nahar, Assistant Manager of the Sufal-2 project, said, ‘It’s not that long ago. Just six years ago, in 2019, due to a sudden flood, many farmers in Gaibandha, especially in Saghatta and Fulchhari unions, could not harvest their paddy. Even if they did, they couldn’t parboil and dry it, causing the paddy to become “chita” (empty grains) and spoil, leading to immense hardship for the people of this area. Because their livelihoods primarily depend on selling paddy. If there is no paddy, it becomes extremely difficult to run the family. Low-income people become indebted.’
Nahar stated that when the people of Saghatta, Fulchhari, Sundarganj, and Sadar, including all seven upazilas of Gaibandha, were severely affected by the devastating flood in 2019, CARE Bangladesh began working to raise awareness among the people of this area.
They started a project called ‘Sufal’ in collaboration with several local non-governmental organizations like SKS Foundation in Gaibandha.
Khandaker Zahid Sarwar, Deputy Director of SKS and Focal Person of the Sufal project, said that while the first phase of the Sufal project provided financial, food, and other assistance, the second phase fully focused on skill development for men and women in the area.
Sonali Rani, a beneficiary from Chinir Potol Majhipara, said, ‘We are not just aware of ourselves. We have received a lot of training. We discuss what we learned from the training with other men and women in the area.’
‘Our area experiences a lot of storms, rain, floods, and lightning. People, as well as animals, die. Four or five years ago, cattle died in many homes, and people died in floodwaters and from lightning. Now, animals don’t die as much as before. People know in advance when it will rain, how much it will rain, and what the floodwater situation will be like. Seeing the condition of various disasters, we can now prepare accordingly. We’ve also learned what to do during lightning. The Sufal project has taught us a lot. This kind of project should be more widespread,’ said this woman. Sonali added, ‘We don’t have much education. But we’ve learned things from this project that have changed our lives.’
Nurun Nahar told this reporter, ‘The Sufal project has brought good fortune to our area. I am a child of Gaibandha. Gaibandha is a hotbed of natural disasters. Since childhood, I used to get frustrated seeing the life struggles of the people in this area. Not only poultry and cattle but also people were swept away by river erosion and floods. The death rate from lightning was also very high in this area.’
‘But for the past few years, the people of this area have played a special role in combating severe natural disasters. And those who have given them courage from behind are the officials and employees of various government and non-governmental organizations.’
Abdur Rajjak of Khamar Paban village in Saghatta said, ‘There’s a big difference between now and five or ten years ago. Before, nothing was known. When there was a storm or rain, there was no electricity. Radios and TVs would shut down. Now, for advance warnings, you don’t need a TV or radio. A small mobile phone is enough. And if one person knows, the whole village knows. People can be cautious.’
‘It wasn’t just voice calls from the Sufal project during floods. Weather news was also given to the members of our organized groups in various areas. For example, voice calls would inform us about what kind of weather was suitable for irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers, and when not to apply them. Besides fertilizers, early warnings for cold waves and droughts, and information about which crops and seeds to plant in which season were also provided via voice calls.’
‘Our trust in these voice calls was 100%. We used to wait for these voice calls. I don’t know what will happen now. I want to draw the attention of the government, as well as CARE Bangladesh, SKS, and all the officials of this initiative, to say that even if the project ends, please don’t leave us. The people of this area are very helpless. We hope to continue receiving the benefits we have received for the past two years. Early weather warnings are a shield for farmers like us to survive.’
