Climate change impact makes four lakh people vulnerable at Morrelganj

MORRELGANJ, BAGERHAT, Jan 22: Climate change impact that causes natural disasters including cyclone, tidal surge and erosion has made vulnerable the existence of around 3.5 lakh people living along the Panguchhi River banks in the upazila.
Besides, 1.5 lakh cattle including 90,000 cows and 2.5 lakh ducks and poultry birds have also come under the threat.
In the upazila, salinity has caused suspension to paddy production in about 1,500 acres of land, and seasonal vegetable-farming registered decreasing.
The geographical shape of the upazila is getting changed because of unabated erosion by the river in the absence of embankment. Hundreds of bighas of land have already been eroded by the river.
Several thousands of living houses along with trees and plants, education and religious institutions, and many important roads in Morrelganj Sadar Union,  Municipality  and  seven unions have been devoured by Panguchhi.
The salinity in these localities was levelled by cyclone, tidal surge and erosion. The remaining livestock resources including cattle, ducks and poultry birds are not getting adequate natural feed. The natural feed areas have been salty hampering their livelihood. Stranded water is causing early death to domestic animals and birds. Numbers of local cow, buffalo, duck and chicken are decreasing at an alarming rate.
General working class people in the upazila have been in living hardship due to sand lifting by drill dredgers from grounds, canals and beels (water bodies), un-controlled brick kilns, sow mills, canal-filling and grabbing and water-flow blocking for fish enclosures.
There are seven sluice gates in the upazila to control flows of different canals. But one of these is in order.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Sifat Al Maruf said, the upazila area included 33,150 hectares (ha) of croplands. But due to salinity, paddy production has registered fall in Baharbunia, Baroikhali and Geodhara unions.
If a permanent embankment is raised, the paddy land size will increase by at least 1,000 ha, he added.  He suggested re-activating the sluice gates and ensuring their maintenance by permanent manpower.
Development Organisation of the Rural Poor (DORP), an NGO, is working with endangered families. Upazila Coordinator of Pani-e-Jiban project of DORP Md Shawkat Chowdhury said, zone-based budget planning is necessary for overcoming adversities.
Upazila Project Implementation Officer Md Rokonuzzaman said, there are 83 disaster tolerant cyclone shelters in the coastal upazila; a demand for raising this number has been sent to the department concerned; also a plan is underway for the rehabilitation of the people displaced due to erosion.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Jahangir Alam said, union chairmen have been instructed to identify  100-year-old canals; already freeing filled and grabbed canals has begun;  and re-dredging Khash ponds  is going on to ensure drinking water.
Government entities like Zilla Parishad, Public Works Engineering Department, and BADC (Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation) are working at the field level in this regard, he maintained.