Documentary

Shunte Ki Pao (Waiting for the Last Wave)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the country’s most likely to suffer adverse impacts from anthropogenic climate change. Threats include sea level rise, floods, and cyclones (approximately 130,000 people were killed in the cyclone of April 1990). With a population of 130 million, most of whom earn less than U.S.$1 a day, it has some of the poorest people in the world. The impacts of climate change will only exacerbate the problems already facing the population.

Climate change and exposure to natural disasters threaten to derail efforts to eradicate poverty. A great bulk of the world’s poor and most vulnerable citizens live in disaster prone countries and their number keeps increasing. As temperatures rise, the likelihood and severity of climate-related disasters increase affecting lives and livelihoods, hampering the development efforts and reversing gains made in poverty reduction. The links between climate change and sustainable development are strong. Poor and developing countries, particularly least developed countries, will be among those most adversely affected and least able to cope with the anticipated shocks to their social, economic and natural systems.

Dohar, Dhaka Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 26 June 2019.Every year, riverbank erosion leads to millions of people being affected as it results in damage and loss of crops, cattle, housing structures, and farmland. People are working in a riverbank dam construction.
Shariatpur, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 16 November 2018.As moderate to heavy rainfall continued across Bangladesh on Thursday, thousands of victims of river erosion were living in shelters or in the houses of friends or relatives after losing their land and livelihood to a rising, hungry river. Ms Ayesha Khatun and Ms Amena Begum are childhood friends and they both lost their home for river erosion. “The river had already eaten up many things from our family. But we could not imagine it would also render us homeless this season,” they said.
Manikganj, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 26 August 2018.As the mighty Padma River in Bangladesh experiences unprecedented levels of soil erosion, a vast area of Dhaka’s Naria Upazilla region in the Shariatpur District has vanished.
Teknaf, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 19 September 2018.Sea level rise hits Bangladesh islanders hard. Internally displacement is a common phenomenon in teknaf, coxsbazar as a vast area of the island is being devoured by the riverbank erosion accelerated by sea level rise.Likewise, Nizam Uddin also faced such a precarious condition as he was also displaced losing his homestead to seawater. He said displacement makes their lives miserable as they not only lost their house and belongings, but also lost their family roots after displacement, putting them in an uncertain future.
Shariatpur, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 10 July 2018.Erosion is also continuing to take place in many points of the padma Island, putting many islanders at the risk of displacement. Children are lost their school for the cause of river erosion in Madaripur, Bangladesh.
Shariatpur, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 10 July 2018.Over 200 houses and other establishments went into the gorge of the Jamuna River in the last few days until Saturday as untimely river erosion has taken a serious turn in Shahjadpur upazila of Sirajganj.Last year, more than 400 houses, several educational institutions, a medical centre, two Eidgah grounds, 50 handloom factories, 400 bighas of arable land, 3km of unpaved roads, a graveyard, a cremation ground, a temple and many plants were washed away by the river.
Kurigram, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 30 September 2017.Riverbank dwellers of Kurigram, Bangladesh losing everything to Teesta erosion. In the village of river island Bajra, the tearful eyes of Ruhul Amin, Moktar Uddin and many others speak of their endless sorrows.
Manikganj, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 26 August 2018.The impacts of sea level rise on coastal regions are sudden and episodic hazards, indicating that global sea level rise will be a major challenge with severe implications on human civilisations.
Chandpur , Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 27 August 2018.In Chandpur, at least 50 houses and infrastructures have been washed away by the Meghna river, while many other prominent infrastructures were under threat till the filing of this report on recently.
Shariatpur, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 04 September 2018.Amena Bibi After losing her husband more than 20 years ago and her sons in recent years, 75-year-old Amena Bibi has been living a difficult life with her daughter. As the only surviving child, her daughter, who used to work as a cleaner in the Upazila Health Complex in Naria, lost her job when the entire complex collapsed into the Padma River due to erosion.
Bhola, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 19 June 2018.River erosion is an endemic natural condition in Bangladesh. It is estimated that presently, about 5 percent of Bangladesh’s total floodplain is affected by erosion.
Shariatpur, Bangladesh, Photo taken on the dated 16 November 2018.Shariatpur District in Bangladesh is situated along the Padma River, the biggest river system in the country. For decades, the riverbank has faced constant erosion. A recent report from NASA indicates that since 1967, over 66,000 hectares or 256 square miles of land have been lost to erosion due to the river. The incident also destroyed Jamila Begum’s home and many other infrastructures along the riverbank. “We have lost everything due to the river erosion,” says Jamila Begum when she was approached by Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteers. “Today, I have no house and not even a toilet. This is a very undignified way of living.” After assessing her current living conditions, the Red Crescent volunteers enlisted her as one of the most people urgently needing support.
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Moniruzzaman Sazal

My main objective of photography is to tell the sufferings of people and to highlight different problems exist in society. I believe that expressing… More »

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