September Flood vs Satkhira District
Satkhira is a coastal district of Bangladesh. The people of this area are constantly fighting and struggling with natural calamities. But the current/recent period of floods has become a bane in the lives of millions of people in this area. Heavy rains coupled with floods have disrupted public life. From people’s houses to roads, agricultural land, fish enclosures, farms, and educational institutions, everything has been submerged. From people’s lives to livestock, the environment, and the ecosystem, including biodiversity, is now facing dire crisis/threat. Our organization SESDO (Social & Environmental Sustainable Development Organization) has made a video documentary about the current situation of 10 villages of Khalishkhali Union and Sarulia Union of Tala Upazila of Satkhira District.
As a result of the flood, the raw houses of the people have been destroyed. Village after village has sunk. Living in one’s own house has now become completely impractical. Most people have somehow found shelter in the nearest shelter. As a result of the floods, people are now somehow starving. People have no food. He arrived at the shelter in whatever condition he could, in one piece of cloth. He did not have time to bring home food. People are now living the life of humanity due to lack of food.
There is now an extreme shortage of drinking water due to floods. People are not getting any drinking water because the tube wells have sunk. Many are forced to drink flood water to survive. The population of this area is now going through a transitional period due to the shortage of drinking water. As a result of the floods, the population of this area is now at serious health risk. Women and children in particular are at grave risk due to problems with toilets, problems with safe drinking water, and various water-borne diseases. Thousands of people have already suffered from diarrhea, cholera and dysentery.
All the educational institutions in this area are currently closed due to the flooding of the educational institutions. Children and adolescents cannot go to school. The education system is failing. Many children and teenagers are likely to drop out of school.
People’s livelihoods are now completely under threat. The house is now uninhabitable. There is no food; massive food problem. Safe drinking water problem. Health Risks Especially women and children are at serious risk; they are not getting any medicine. Due to the collapse of schools, the education system of children is being disrupted. At the moment, people have no means of earning. In a word, the people of this flood-affected area are now living a miserable life.
Most of the people in this area are engaged in agriculture. The agricultural system in this area has been completely destroyed due to floods. The crops of the land are all gone. All the crops were destroyed. Tears in the farmer’s eyes. Starting from Aman paddy, turmeric, met potato, dal, wool, and brinjal fields are all submerged. Small farmers have suffered huge losses. Everything from backyard vegetable fields was destroyed. These floods have made it difficult for farmers to recover from the damage they have suffered.
Livestock is one of the sources of income for the people of this flood-affected village. In these poverty-stricken areas, women especially live by raising livestock such as cattle, cows, goats, and poultry. Starting from poultry farming to cow and goat farming, rural women play an important role in social development from the grip of poverty. But rural farmers and women are in dire straits as livestock shelters have been washed away by these floods. Cattle are also under severe food shortage due to collapsing hay/electricity piles. Among these, there are various diseases of cattle.
The Satkhira district of Bangladesh is a coastal region. The area is famous for fishing due to its low lying and salinity. Another source of income for the people of this area is fishing. As a result of this flood, the fish enclosures have all been submerged. The water has risen to such an extent that the fish cages have sunk and all have become one. There is no way to understand which one is a fish enclosure. At present, the fish farmers have their hands on their heads. Many people are depressed due to this loss. Already impoverished, many fish farmers have fallen into debt.
Floods have caused a lot of damage to the environment and Ecosystems. The biodiversity is also threatened. There are various fruit trees in the rural gardens. With the fruit that ensures the nutritional security of the rural township, the additional fruit is sold for income. Fruit trees include jackfruit, mango, java plum, coconut, lemon, guava, banana, litchi, and others. Due to the flood, many types of trees are dying among fruit, forest, and medicinal plants. These rural gardens are home to various species of animals such as foxes, mongoose, snakes, small indian civet, monitor lizard. Many of these wild animals are dying. As a result, biodiversity is in crisis and ecosystems are losing balance. All in all, the environment has suffered severe damage as a result of these floods.
The flood situation is dire in this area. Millions of people are stuck in water. Homes of thousands of people have been destroyed by flood water. Food, drinking water, and medicine are urgently needed for this displaced population. Their livestock and poultry were swept away by the flood waters. But sadly, they have not received any relief material so far. They did not even get any assurance of cooperation from any NGO or government. These water-bound people need a handful of food, some food, drinking water, and some help. Many have already been affected by waterborne diseases. Our organization, SESDO, is making video documentaries in over 10 villages about the dire situation of floods. Agriculture, fish habitats, animal resources, forests, and biodiversity are already lost due to floods. Your help is especially needed to put a smile on the faces of these poor people. Please help as much as you can.
