Our destination was a village on the bank of the river Dharala. On November 20 morning, we landed at the eastern bank of the river to take a boat to reach our destination. We could avoid the riverine route but it would have taken much more time.
Getting down from the jeep, we realised that Lalmonirhat as well as the whole region is not as cold as it should be at the end of November. The climatic change had possibly reduced the biting cold.
The second noticeable event was erosion caused by the Dharala River. Sitting on the back of a motor bike, we observed that the river was eroding the eastern bank with utmost ferocity. People are shifting homes or getting destitute. But the 'good' news is that the western bank was expanding at the same time. This is quite natural: Nodir ekul bhange, okul gore aito nodir khela (It is the game of the river to destroy one bank and build the other). But the game could be costly in terms of homelessness, poverty and population rendered floating. Â
Research documents show that most of the extreme poor come from areas of river bank erosion. What is a whim for the river is a disaster for the people.
We boarded a mechanised boat - popularly known as shallow-boat. It is operated by two persons. At the end of the day, they fetch Tk 300-400 each. We were told that once country boats - with sails and rudder - were used for crossing the river. Shallow boats made their presence in this region in the 1980s due to the liberalisation of agricultural input market. Opening up of the economy since then has made it possible to import shallow machines at cheaper prices. In many villages, one in three households has now a shallow machine which has made water market for irrigation more competitive than before. We can possibly dub this small machine as a 'three-in-one': it propels boats in the river, pushes vehicles on the land (bhot boti) and helps threshing at homestead. The owners of the machine use it for different purposes keeping in view maximisation of income.
As the boat left the eastern bank, we observed a new habitation growing on the other side - newly constructed tin-shed homes with solar pans on the top of a few houses. Solar pan is the only source of electricity in those areas and its use has reportedly been growing very fast over time. The government should see that the market is free from the clutches of the so-called 'solar lords' who monopolise the market and allegedly charge exorbitant prices. Also came to our notice bountiful banana trees, sugar plants and fields filled with crops grown in the fertile alluvial soil.
All these sound soothing and promising but the dreams could be dashed any time. Who knows the Dharala River could one day sweep away all happiness within a very short time. People of the char lands know it quite well but even then they build houses hoping against hope. It is good to see that they live with hopes as hopelessness is another name of death.
Soon we landed on the other side of the river. About 20-25 motor bikes were waiting to carry passengers home. We were told that during the last 4-5 years, this kind of transportation has developed in this area. The owners of these bikes are mostly unemployed graduates and students studying in colleges. They have bought the bikes from Lalmonirhat at Tk 1,20,000 each with a portion as down payment and the rest to be repaid in instalments. The daily average earning is not bad: it is Tk 400 or Tk 500.
The village that we visited is Rashun Shimulbari. It was once known as a village of hunger - occasionally attacked by monga. A brother of our host Jonab Ali died from taking a mixture of atta with water out of unbearable hunger.
But now Jonab Ali has a solar pan on the top of his small tin-shed house although he owns only two bighas of land. Jonab Ali grows HYV and hybrid paddy and harvests 20-25 maunds per bigha respectively. This allows him to overcome food shortage and reap some surplus. One day he wished to have electricity and television and went to the BRAC to get a solar pan. It cost him Tk 26, 000 with interest and the loan has been repaid on time. Jonab Ali's house has now a television and three bulbs to be lit.
Thus, be it in road transport or agriculture, advent of modern technology has made a difference in the life of the poor villagers. While technology is a necessary condition, the sufficient condition is relevant institutions to supply them with all inputs.
Back on the mechanised boat, we realised that the village, afflicted with monga and famine just two decades ago, has survived the stormy times because of infrastructural and technological developments that have reached the grassroots. Also, the government policies on education, supported by NGO (non-governmental organisation) activities with micro-credit, health and education, helped the turnaround in the villages.
But ominous clouds are gathering on the horizon. Rashun Shimulbari is only 1/2 kilometres away from the Indian border. Quite obviously, smuggled drugs enter the village easily and youths are falling prey to this pernicious item. 'Dowry' system has apparently been curbed, thanks to the campaign of NGOs and government organisations. Now a system of secret deal on dowry has developed ('digital dowry') under which there is no pre-announced dowry but it is forced upon the brides' families during the post-marriage phase. The rays of hopes are shrouded with frustrations - one river bank emerges while the other bank vanishes into water. Such a story goes on and on.
The writer is a Professor                      of Economics at                     Jahangirnagar University.                abdulbayes@yahoo.com
Overcoming river erosion, ‘monga’
Abdul Bayes | Published: December 12, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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