25 Aug 2008 I am Jamila
Bibi. I was born on
Rajnagar Island. Almost 30 years ago I got
married and moved to my husband's house
at Mousuni Island. We settled on the western
part of this island. My husband's primary
occupation was shrimp seed collection. These
seeds used to fetch a good price and were
easily available in the coastal waters.
My husband was the sole
bread earner for our family but now he can't
work much due to physical illness. We are
solely dependent on our son who works as
a daily labourer.
Our house was behind
the old embankment and we never thought
that it would give up so easily to regular
tidal action. I still remember the moment
when we lost our house, goats and important
documents when the embankment was breached
all of a sudden and we lost everything in
a short span of time.
It was a moment of absolute
panic and terror for us.
I was sitting in the
yard segregating and counting shrimp seeds
collected for the day. All of a sudden the
embankment was broken and tidal water gushed
in with great speed and washed away almost
everything we had. I hardly managed to catch
hold of my son, while my daughter caught
hold of a nearby tree. We were fortunate
enough to be rescued by some local people
who came in a boat after a long time. After
this incident we spent next 15 days in a
temporary shelter.
Situations like this
always happen whenever embankments are breached
and the island gets flooded. It is difficult
to describe and remember because the only
thing that crosses our mind during that
time is to save yourself and your family
members. It is especially people like us,
living near the embankments, who suffer
the most. There is an absolute state of
confusion and panic all around. There are
human beings and animals floating and struggling
in the water. People do not know what to
do or what to hold on to especially when
everything is suddenly engulfed by tidal
water without any prior warning.
The sea level has risen
over the years and so has the temperature.
The waves rise very high as the tide comes
in. The water level during floods is also
very high. It is dangerous. The cyclones
bring heavy rainfall which devastates many
villages on this island. I am witnessing
the changing climate over the years but
have absolutely no clue why it is happening
and how to combat it. My father-in-law used
to tell me that there used to be forests
in this region and a lot of birds but now
most of it is either destroyed or disappeared.
I don't remember getting
any help from the Government nor were we
offered any sort of financial support after
these events. When our houses were washed
away by the sea, there's nothing except
a temporary shelter just to manage a roof
over our heads.
We have no means of
preparing ourselves before a climatic event.
How can the sea be stopped?
If only we had an indication that the embankment
would break, we could have gone somewhere
else. I am an illiterate woman and I cannot
suggest anything that could be done to save
this place. However, I believe that if the
embankment is made stronger and if some
trees are planted near it, maybe the damage
caused can be lessened.
