PICTURESQUEIn the dry season, when the upstream flow of water is
drastically reduced, saline water travels up to 240 kilometres
inland. Crop yields have been affected as certain plants refuse to
grow; food productivity has declined, and work opportunities
are becoming increasingly scarce.
The World Bank also reports that the increase in soil salinity
may lower the rice yield by 15.6 percent, which will significantly
reduce the income of local farmers. Another factor contributing
to the rise in salinity is shrimp cultivation, which involves
trapping seawater in agricultural lands for extended periods.
The extensive farming systems exacerbate the intrusion of
salinity, resulting in the ruin of mangroves, the degradation of
land, and the destabilisation of coastal ecosystems.
As agricultural lands continue to be threatened by
salinity, people are being forced deeper into the jungle to
secure alternative livelihoods, such as honey cultivation
or firewood collection.
Many of these climate change migrants are victim to royal
Bengal tigers, and some are kidnapped by pirates. Some have
moved to the nearest cities to seek work, while others risk
migrating illegally through the Bangladesh-India border.
In an old folktale, the daughter of a fabled king told her
father that he was “as dear to her as salt”. However, for these
climate refugees, salt has made their life bitter; salt is the tragedy
of what they are left with: Salt in their lands, and in their tears.
This photographic project aims to inspire action.
Vulnerable countries like Bangladesh must be provided with
adequate support so that they can rehabilitate their affected
people, and work to protect their resources. agMOHAMMAD RAKIBUL HASAN is a documentary
photographer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is
represented by Redux Pictures. He holds a Diploma in
Photojournalism from Ateneo de Manila University.13
NIJHUM DWIP, NOAKHALI
A small boy works in the fields all day. There are
few jobs or educational facilities on the small
island of Nijhum Dwip.