About 25,000 fishermen are engaged in drying various kinds of fish during this season at Dublar Char and other villages of the Sundarbans, but they complain of being plagued by many problems, including a lack of clean water, medical care and security, despite paying a huge amount of money in revenue for years.
According to sources at the Forest Department, the fishermen set up makeshift houses at Dublar Char, Alor Kol, Shelar Char, Narikel Baria, Majher Kella and Office Kella adjacent to the Bay of Bengal, staying there for five months.
The fishermen say that this region meets 80% of the country's demand for dried fish. In fiscal year 2021-22, revenue collected from the dried fish farms in this region amounted to Tk4.18 crore. The revenue target is Tk4.5 crore for the current fiscal year.
Fishermen from various districts, especially Chittagong, Pirojpur, Satkhira, Barguna, Bagerhat and Khulna, come to these chars of the Sundarbans for a five-month stay.
The Forest Department this year has again assured them of all necessary support, including the construction of drinking water facilities, shelters and medical facilities. On the other hand, the Naval Police has announced the establishment of an outpost to ensure the safety of the fishermen.
Mujibur Rahman, a resident of Khulna's Paikgacha Upazila now working at Dublar Char, said he had been involved in the dried fish business for 47 years. “We have to come here by paying revenue to the Forest Department. However, the fishermen and traders face various problems. Due to its remoteness, we do not get emergency medical care when someone falls sick,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Dhaka TribuneAnother fisherman, Tapan Das, said there are two ponds and 13 wells in Dublar Char, but the water from 10 of the wells is unusable.
“We collect water from the three wells though it is filled with various insects and garbage. So we collect the water and filter it. The banks of the ponds are broken and saltwater has made them unusable.
“Besides, shelters are not immune from storms and floods. No new cyclone shelters have been constructed since the authorities abandoned five shelter centres.”
Kamal Uddin Ahmed, President of Dublar Char Fishermen's Group, said that 80% of the country's demand for dried fish is met from the production in this region. “The Forest Department does not provide us with any kind of facilities even after collecting revenue from us. Indeed, it has increased the revenue target this year,” he added.
Due to a lack of drinking water, many fishermen suffer from various diseases, including diarrhea, but do not get proper treatment. The makeshift drug stores are the last hope.
As the cyclone shelters are in vulnerable conditions, the fishermen take shelter in the forest during storms. In addition, they come under attack at various times from Indian fishermen, who loot the nets and fish due to an absence of effective safeguards, according to Kamal Uddin.
Md Shafiqul Islam, additional IG and chief of Naval Police, said that fishermen leave their families and come to the Sundarbans in search of livelihood.
Dhaka Tribune“Discussions have already been held with the fishermen and traders to decide the location for a naval police outpost at Dublar Char. This economic activity is important for the development of the country,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Muhammad Belayet Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Forest Division, said the division had dug a new pond and re-excavated an old pond under an ecotourism project. “If this does not meet the demand of the fishermen, one more pond will be dug there under the protection scheme of the Forest Department.”
He said the higher authorities had been asked to build a floating hospital, deploy a doctor, and rebuild five cyclone shelters.