(Part- 1)
Akhlima Begum. Age 62. Lives in Karail Basti. He lived in this slum for more than three ages. He has seen many things in between. Home is Khalifakandi of Chandpur. River erosion is a memory of his past, but still alive. When he asked, he started to say it.
Married to Nawab Ali. He is also a witness and victim of river erosion. Nawab Ali's family had five kani of land. At various times, the river has destroyed the land, houses and everything. After breaking 7/8 times Akhlima Begum-Nawab Ali had nothing left. They settled in Dhaka with the help of their elder brother. The new address is Karail Basti.
He is still in Kalay since the nineties. He is hoping for a stable time after going through the calamitous times. Akhlima started working as a domestic worker to survive. However, she had never worked as a maid before. He used to get Tk 300 for working all day. On the other hand, Nawab Ali drove a rickshaw. He was asked to know, did he drive a rickshaw before? Answer, no. Driving a rickshaw earned a daily income of Tk 80-100. They and five sons and daughters lived on the income of two people. Their education, food and marriage - everything has been done by two people. Among the five boys and girls, all of them have little education, but only one has the highest education, up to HSC.
Nawab Ali's family had five kani of land. At various times, the river has destroyed the land, houses and everything. After breaking 7/8 times Akhlima Begum-Nawab Ali had nothing left. They settled in Dhaka with the help of their elder brother. The new address is Karail Basti
Akhlima said, "I can't do any work, so I was starting to work at Mainsh's house." I used to work in another house all day and then I used to work in one house. I used to get some money in Heian too. Because, we are five-year-old. With a small income, I could not continue my studies. That elder Pola sometimes helped his father.
When asked whether he went to his village or not, he said, 'After breaking 7/8 times, there is nothing left. All rivers have gone under water. don't go home where to go There is nothing.
Indeed, the house of Akhlima-Nawab couple is in the stomach of the river. Just what is their home? The houses next to them have also been destroyed due to river erosion - said Nawab Ali.
According to Center for Environment and Geographic Information Service (CEGIS) data published in 2023, more than five lakh people have been rendered homeless by the Padma and Jamuna river erosion in the last 22 years. 50,955 hectares of land were lost, which is six times larger than the island of Saint Martin.
Not yet released. However, using technical technology, we are able to find out how much the big three rivers – Jamuna, Padma, Ganga – are eroding. Through this process it is possible to identify the erosion pattern of all the rivers in the country. Then the number of immigrants or migrants can also be determined.
People who are displaced every year due to river erosion are living a helpless life in different cities after losing their land and habitat. They are basically climate migrants. Sometimes they live in Begunbari slums; Sometimes in the slums of Karail, Kaunia, Lalbagh or Mohammadpur.
How is 'climate change' related to river erosion? It was asked to Professor AK Saiful Islam of Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET) Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM). He said that river erosion is a natural and natural phenomenon. This has happened before, is happening now and will happen in the future. However, the natural phenomenon of river erosion is linked to climate change.
