Page 11 - Respond 2018 Magazine

9

India. A militarised fence along 70% of the 4,000 kilometre
frontier sends an unwelcoming signal. Still, people find ways
The number of
to evade the patrols, typically by boat across the rivers.

Zainab Begum (pictured), a
40-year old woman collecting
water from Gabura village people living on the
pond, across the river from
Kolbari, has two younger
sisters working as waste margins of cities
pickers in Tamil Nadu, a
has doubled to 2.2
southern Indian state.
With their families, they have crossed the border illegally
several times. It is a risky business: one got caught and was
badly beaten by Indian border guards, detained for a week million since 1997
before she could bribe her way out.

There was little to keep them in Gabura, one of the worst
hit areas by Aila. Not a single house was left standing,
says Begum, a fierce note in her voice. The levee that was country. He tells Climate Home in English: “I know about
supposed to keep the river out trapped a layer of sludgy, climate change. When climate change in this place, we are
salty water on the land for three whole years. She lived in not happy.”
a makeshift house on the embankment; others with more
resources left permanently. The outlook is not all bleak. Just as farmers adapted to
fattening shrimp, now some have turned to crab, which can
Eventually, the government helped them rebuild. A three- tolerate higher salinity. They do not eat it round here: it is
storey cyclone shelter stands proud at the heart of the “haram” (forbidden) for the Muslim majority and at 250 taka
village. But land that was previously good for one rice crop a ($3) apiece in the market, beyond most budgets. But there
year became too salty: now it is all shrimp. is strong demand from China and Malaysia. A small plant in
Kolbari packs the shellfish for export.
In this battered economy, Ziaur Rahman is trying to make
a living teaching English and maths to private students. The scale of migration from vulnerable areas will depend on
With a degree from Khulna University, he shows more the success of these adaptations, as well as the severity of
awareness than most about the global trends affecting his climate change impacts.

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