“We’re defeated by natural disasters again and again. Cyclones reduce us to zero”

“I lost everything in the strong tide on the night of Cyclone Amphan. A part of the agricultural land was washed away by the tide into the river. The entire area was submerged in salt water for long. Before Cyclone Amphan, the land used to produce good crops. But now the crops are not good. I catch shrimp fry in the river to support my family. Amphan has made my life and livelihood struggle even more difficult.” — Marjina Khatun, 50, got teary-eyed as she spoke.

Marjina Khatun is a resident of Katmarchar village in Koyra upazila of Khulna district in southwestern Bangladesh. Marjina’s struggle began after her husband Nurul Islam died in 2015. Every natural disaster like Amphan brings her a big crisis. Sudha Rani Sarkar, 60, a female-headed household in the same area, is in a similar situation. She used to farm a small plot of land to support her family. But after Cyclone Amphan, the crop failed. To tide over the crisis, she took up work in a house in Khulna city.

These are just a few cases of the many people who are in crisis after being affected by Super Cyclone Amphan. Super Cyclone Amphan hit the southwestern coast of Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after six years, many affected people have not been able to return to normal life.

Many people in Koyra upazila, Dakop upazila, Paikgachha upazila of Khulna district, Assasuni upazila, Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district are still carrying the scars of Cyclone Amphan.

Amphan hit on 20 May 2020. The cyclone caused damage worth USD131 million and killed 26 people. The cyclone left many people homeless. It has deprived many people of employment opportunities.

The signs of Cyclone Amphan's destruction are still visible in many villages in the southwest. In many places, the destroyed houses have not yet been renovated. Many families are living on the slopes of the embankment. Agricultural and shrimp farms are deserted. Many families are still living in extreme crisis. After the cyclone, many did not receive any assistance except emergency relief. Many families were displaced. Many could not return to their homes.

There are many heartbreaking stories hidden in the villages devastated by Amphan. Nurul Islam was forced to sell his only source of income, four cows. Faruk Hossain stopped his sons' education and was forced to marry off his teenage daughter at a young age. Displaced Faruk Hossain Sardar and his family have gone to Khulna city and are in extreme crisis.

Mafuar Rahman, 42, of Kurikahunia village in Assashuni upazila of Satkhira district, is on the list of Marjina Khatun or Sudha Rani. The list is very long. Mafuar lost his house in Amphan and is living elsewhere. “I had a house, agricultural land. Everything is now underwater. After Cyclone Amphan, I have changed my place of residence six times in a year. I have nothing left. It is very difficult to get three meals a day by driving a van. I have lost about 15 lakh taka in Cyclone Amphan,” — said Mafuar.

Houses and agricultural land in Pratapnagar union of Assashuni upazila were underwater for almost a year. Many people have been living in cyclone shelters for several months. Many families were forced to leave the area in search of livelihood.

Abdus Sattar, a farmer from Kurikahunia village in the same upazila, sold his land and moved to Khulna city. Mahbub Hossain from the same village left the area and moved to Narail district. Ayub Ali Gazi went to Keshabpur in Jessore. Faruk Hossain Sardar of Chakla village in Asashuni upazila went to Khulna city with his family in search of livelihood.

“Disasters have reduced us to zero. After Cyclone Amphan, I have nothing left. So I was forced to leave the area. There is no chance to return to the area,” — said Faruk Hossain Sardar.

The same story is found not only in Assashuni upazila of Satkhira district, but also in Shyamnagar upazila of the district. Many affected farmers are also seen in Paikgachha and Koyra upazilas of Khulna district. The list of affected people is very long. But the list of assistance is short. Very few people have received rehabilitation assistance. As a result, the affected people have to fight hard to return to normalcy.

Abu Daud Dhali, Chairman of Pratapnagar Union Parishad, said, “The people of Pratapnagar Union have been severely affected by the powerful Cyclone Amphan. Every family in this union was affected. Many domestic and foreign visitors came here after the cyclone. But compared to the damage, we have not received any assistance. The affected families are surviving on their own by taking loans.”

Pre-monsoon cyclone fears in May. This fear is increasing due to continuous heatwaves. Pre-monsoon heatwaves have continued in Bangladesh for two consecutive years. 2024 has broken the 76-year record in the country. The fear of intense heat cyclones is increasing. Another cyclone has been predicted for the last week of this May.

Millions of people in the southwestern coastal districts of Bangladesh are in distress due to frequent cyclones. There are already 12 cyclones recorded in May; which hit Bangladesh and India. These are- 2 May 2008, 3 May 2019, 5 May 1961, 9 May 1965, 16 May 2013, 17 May 2021, 20 May 2020, 21 May 2016, 24 May 1985, 25 May 2009, 26 May 2021 and 30 May 2017. These cyclones have had a serious impact on people's lives and livelihoods.

Rising sea levels, frequent cyclones and other natural hazards have put the lives of millions of people in Bangladesh at risk. Agriculture is also under threat due to increasing salinity and lack of irrigation water. It has already displaced millions of people to urban slums or abroad. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Bangladesh is the seventh most affected country by extreme weather events in the last two decades.

The ‘Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021’ report by the Swiss-based organisation Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) said that 4.443 million people were displaced in Bangladesh in 2020. Almost all of them became refugees due to natural disasters. It is expected that the number of displaced people will increase significantly in the future due to climate change.

The World Bank’s updated Groundswell report says that more than 210 million people worldwide could be displaced by 2050 due to the impact of climate change. Of these, more than 40 million people are in the South Asia region. In South Asia alone, 19.9 million people are estimated to be displaced in Bangladesh.

The Union Parishad is directly involved in cyclone preparedness at the field level. Bhabatosh Kumar Mondal, former chairman of Buri Goalini Union Parishad of Shyamnagar Upazila in Satkhira district, said from his experience in cyclone preparedness, — “There are many initiatives to reduce the damage and reduce deaths before the cyclone. But there are very few initiatives to rehabilitate the affected people after the cyclone.”

“Many of the reasons for the risk of natural disasters in this region are weak embankments. These embankments built in the 1960s break and houses are repeatedly swept away by water. No initiative is taken to make the embankments stronger. Local communities must be involved in disaster management,” he added.

M Zakir Hossain Khan, Climate finance and environment analyst, Executive Director of Change Initiative, said, “A whole-of-society approach will be adopted; Local Red Crescent youth volunteers will be involved for effective implementation of community-led disaster response and climate action. The centralized governance model has proven ineffective and a decentralized grassroots-based approach will be integrated and made mandatory for all government agencies.”

Standing in front of a cyclone-damaged house in Katmarchar village, Marjina Khatun pointed to show her land and the scars of Amphan. The farmland is now a flowing river. “The cyclone has repeatedly hit me. My income is decreasing. How will I spend the coming days with my children?” — asked Marjina.