In 2009, when Cyclone Aila hit the area, Rojina Begum was merely a child.
As she recalls, “That was the last year I attended school. We lost most of our land, and our house broke down. It was a calamitous blow to our entire community. We became poorer than before but kept carrying on with endurance. Since then, we are living by the riverbank and have no other place to go.”
“Sadly, in the following years, there have been many tropical cyclones like Bulbul, Fani, and Amphan, causing chronic crises like waterlogging and river erosion. It is like an unceasing period of suffering for us. With just an open and temporary sanitation facility made of ring slabs and no fresh water source, we bath in the local river water.”
Nevertheless, the river water is excessively salty and undrinkable – which oftentimes causes diarrhea and various skin diseases. It can’t also be used for cooking purposes. So, the community members, mainly the women travel to far-off cyclone centers to collect water for drinking and cooking.
Using soap for cleaning and washing is a luxury, especially when they constantly struggle with inadequate sanitation and water crises.
Staying at her parental house with her mother in Ward No. 9, Mora, Closure, Gabura under Shyamnagar Upazila of Shatkhira District; Rojina has a two-year-old son to look after and awaiting her second child. With her current physical condition, she cannot collect water on her own, so her mother does the job.
But that is also troublesome, as she explains, “My mother is getting old, and her health has become much fragile. But what can we do? Since my father passed away several years ago, no other family member lives with us. My husband works in another district as a day labourer for six months a year and my brother lives separately with his family. Due to the crisis, we, evermore, have to use the water carefully to ensure its minimum usage.”
Like Rojina, many villagers stay by the banks of the river or Gabura embankment. In most cases, women suffer the most, as they are responsible for their household maintenance and children’s safety. Climate vulnerability often takes a toll on their mental and physical stability, exposing them to relentless hard work and stress regarding access to basic life needs such as water, sanitation, and hygiene. Besides poverty, frequent climate-impacts hinder their living, damage their resources and force them to helplessly adjust to the inhuman conditions.
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