Abdur Rahman Zwardar, aged 67, once worked as an Ansar in the hills. Across the river, there was a house where he lived with many siblings. His father struggled to provide for the large family. Over the years, their houses were repeatedly destroyed by floods, cyclones, and storms, forcing them to move to the other side of the river.
Rahman doesn’t own any land now. He works as a day laborer on other people’s farms. He suffers from severe pain in his right leg and waist. The local doctor gives him painkillers, but the pain never really goes away. Because of this, he can no longer work as he used to.
Rahman feels a profound sense of emptiness and believes that both humanity and the world are slowly falling apart. The Sundarbans, which once protected them from fierce storms like a caring mother, now seem vulnerable. Climate change has altered the nature of cyclones, but people didn’t realize this in time. While there are fewer deaths, the damage to homes and crops is extensive.
Rahman is now taking shelter in a relative’s house. Due to the pain in his leg, he can’t work on other people’s land any longer. He places his trust in God now, as he faces an uncertain and painful future.
What has climate change done here?
We lived a good life in our childhood; we had no problems with anything. Everything was well with us—food, education, and work. But now, first came Sidr, then Aila—one after another, the cyclones and floods came, ruining everything and making life difficult for us. The trees we plant get uprooted every year due to the floods, our homes are destroyed, and the roads are broken, so the children cannot go to school. We are living amidst these crises.
From the terrible condition we are in, we see no way out other than dying. We have lost so much to these floods that we feel hopeless and lack courage.
What do you think world leaders have to do now to stop things from getting worse and to help us adapt?
Please help us as much as you can. We need to plant trees as well. The canals must be repaired, the trees that were destroyed need to be replanted, and fish need to be cultivated in the rivers again — there is a lot of work to be done.
Life expectancy 2023
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