17 yrs of Cyclone Aila: “We still live with the tide”

A small island lies in the Shibsa River near the Sundarbans. There are several small hanging houses there. The tide repeatedly submerges the island. Yet, the people affected by the disaster are forced to go on living there. Sometimes they are afraid of the tide, of the cyclones and sometimes they are afraid of tigers, crocodiles and snakes. Ignoring these fears, they live there to earn money and save their lives. They have nowhere else to go; their backs are against the wall.

This is the story of the hanging village of Kalabogi near the Sundarbans in southwestern Bangladesh. On 25 May 2009, the village of Kalabogi in Sutarkhali union of Dakop upazila of Khulna district was turned into a hanging village after Cyclone Aila struck. At that time, the hanging village was very large. There were more than 500 houses. But after Aila, several frequent cyclones have divided the village into several parts.

One part is an island adjacent to the Sundarbans. But Kalabogi village was on land. The houses of the village were surrounded by greenery. Crops were grown in the fields. Most of the families in the village used to earn a living by agriculture. Now the misery of the people of the entire village is endless. Their hope for income is the river and the Sundarbans. But there are many obstacles in the way of that income.

17 years ago today, Cyclone Aila hit the west coast of Bangladesh with great force. Aila left permanent scars on the village of Kalabogi. Remote areas of Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira districts were severely damaged by Aila. Sutarkhali, Kamarkhola of Dakop upazila of Khulna, and Gabura union of Shyamnagar of Satkhira were the most damaged. Many people were forced to move from these areas. Although some people were able to return to the area later, many were permanently displaced.Sutarkhali union was under salt water for almost five years after the Aila hit. There was nothing green to speak of. The same situation happened in Gabura union of Shyamnagar. The entire union was devoid of greenery due to being submerged in salt water. Even after 17 long years, the crisis has not ended, but rather new crises have arisen.

Sanatan Mandal, a resident of Kalabogi village, said, “The village is still standing after being damaged by Cyclone Aila. Before Aila, there was a green village here. There was no hanging village here. There were green trees in every house. The people were quite well off by earning a living in the Sundarbans and the Shibsa River. But Cyclone Aila came and snatched away the good times of the people here. Kalabogi got the new name ‘Hanging Village’.”

Rafiqul Islam Khokon, executive director of the non-governmental development organisation Rupantar, said, “After Cyclone Aila, this area is at greater risk. The local residents have lost their land due to erosion. As a result, their suffering has increased a lot. It has become difficult to take initiatives to solve their problems. Because land is needed to work on infrastructural development. There is no such land in that area. Therefore, in order to develop them, steps will have to be taken to relocate them. Then we will have to see what kind of benefits can be ensured for them.”

After Cyclone Aila, the drinking water crisis has intensified in the entire southwestern coast. The crisis has intensified as the reservoirs have become saline. As a result, the people of the southwest have to fight hard for drinking water. Just as Aila has made the reservoirs saline, it has also made the soil salty. Rafiqul Islam Sardar said, “Aila has not only increased the crisis in our lives and livelihoods, it has taken away our water sources. Now we have to struggle for water.”

After visiting the village, it was learned that there was a drinking water crisis in Kalabogi village before. However, Cyclone Aila has increased that crisis several times. Along with daily food gathering, it is difficult for the people of the village to collect fresh water. There is a ‘war’ going on in the area for drinking water. Many people have to drink less water at times.

Fresh water sources have been washed away by Cyclone Aila. The strong salt water coming from the river has entered ponds and canals. As a result, the sources of water collection in the area have completely reduced. Not everyone has access to what is there.

While walking on the dirt road of Kalabogi, a hanging village, one comes across numerous plastic drums. In these, the people of this neighborhood store water brought from far away. Many people retain rainwater as much as they can. That is also stored in these drums. There is also a fear of water being stolen from the drums. That is why the mouth of the drums is tightly closed, tied with polythene and covered with soil. The people of this village collect drinking water the distant Dakop Upazila Sadar and Khulna.

Talking about the water shortage, Sakiron Bibi (45), the wife of Jhunto Para, said, “I can eat rice three times a day with great difficulty. But I cannot drink water as much as I need. I have to use water by measure for other purposes as well. The water shortage is less during the rainy season. Because, then, we get rainwater. Then we use the water and store it.”

Data from Kalabogi and other places on the southwest coast say that after Aila, the salinity of the river water has also increased. Even if tube wells are installed in the area, these yield salt water. Even if 160-165 feet of pipes are installed, salt water comes out of the tube wells. During the rainy season, the river water is sweet, fresh. Then the water in the ponds is also fresh. After that, the salinity has been increasing.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports says that rising sea levels could be even more dangerous in the future. As climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will push them further inland, says a team of researchers. The study says that Virginia and North Carolina in the United States, France, Germany, parts of India and China, and Bangladesh are at particular risk.

The study found that there is a risk of much greater economic damage from sea level rise this century. Sea levels may rise further. Strong coastal storms may strike. Wave power may increase. High tides may occur. The risk of periodic flooding could cost millions of people and trillions of dollars in property worldwide.

Even without the study, the elders of Kalabogi village predict a fearful future. They have seen the past, they see the present and they see it gradually deteriorating. One such elder, Ruhul Amin Gazi, said, “The Sundarbans and the Shibsa River have been our livelihood since ancient times. Since Cyclone Aila, our income has decreased. Work in the Sundarbans has been limited. There is a ban on catching shrimp fry in the river. The village is no longer livable in this environment. But we also have no alternative place to live.”

* Rafiqul Islam Montu is an award-winning independent journalist focusing on environmental issues, climate change, and coastal communities.