In Sunamganj haor region, thousands of working-class families continue to struggle with poverty more than five decades after Bangladesh’s independence, with limited employment opportunities beyond fishing, sand and stone extraction, and farming.
In Tahirpur, Bishwambharpur and Sunamganj Sadar upazilas, many families struggle to afford food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education. With jobs scarce and wages low, countless people remain trapped in poverty, unable to meet even their most basic needs.
Teenager Mariyam Akter sits on a pile of pebbles beside her home in Uttar Dalura village, staring into the distance. Wearing a faded purple salwar-kameez and hijab, she appears lost in thought, weighed down by hardships that have overshadowed her childhood.
A sixth-grade student at Kapna Jalalia Dakhil Madrasa, Mariyam has stopped attending classes because her family cannot afford five months of tuition fees. She also lacks the money to buy books, notebooks, stationery, a school uniform and shoes.
Despite her circumstances, she dreams of becoming a doctor and serving her community. But for her family, even putting three meals on the table each day is a constant struggle.
Her parents, Soleman Miah and Farida Khatun, live with their three children in a makeshift hut in Uttar Dalura village, near the border in Solukabad union of Bishwambharpur upazila. The family lost its ancestral home to river erosion about 20 years ago and has since been living on someone else’s land near Zero Point.
Measuring roughly 12 feet by 12 feet, the fragile shelter is made of corrugated metal sheets and tarpaulins. A few cooking utensils, plastic containers, old quilts, mattresses and pillows make up most of the family’s belongings.
The family’s financial hardship has deepened as both parents struggle to earn a living. Farida spent years extracting sand and stones from the freezing waters of a local river. She now suffers from respiratory problems and other illnesses that have left her unable to work regularly.
Unable to afford medical consultations, she has relied on medicines bought from a village pharmacy for years.
“I can no longer work because of my illness. We live hand to mouth and often cannot provide three proper meals a day for our children,” she said.
Her husband has also been without regular work for several years, leaving the family with few options. When work is available, they can afford food; when it is not, they go hungry.
Mariyam said her family had struggled for years as the prices of essential commodities continued to rise while their earnings remained inadequate. Her parents cannot find work throughout the year, leaving the household unable to meet basic needs or cover educational expenses.
Her younger sister, Rehana Akter, said there was often no food at home and their mother’s illness had made the situation even more difficult.
“There is no work available here. With what little our father earns, we have to choose between buying rice and paying for our education,” she said.
Mariyam’s eyes fill with tears when she talks about her interrupted education and uncertain future. Although she wants to resume her studies and become a doctor, her family’s circumstances have placed that ambition increasingly out of reach.
Her father, Soleman Miah, said employment opportunities in the haor region were largely limited to fishing, sand and stone extraction, and farming, with work becoming particularly scarce during the monsoon.
“The money we earn from day labour is not enough to cover even our basic expenses. If we find work, we eat; if we do not, we go hungry,” he said.
He added that the family had been living in a dilapidated shelter for years because they could not afford to build a proper house.
Odud Miah of West Dalura village said around 150,000 people across Sunamganj Sadar, Bishwambharpur and Tahirpur upazilas depended on manual labour for their livelihoods.
For families such as Mariyam’s, the lack of reliable employment, access to healthcare and financial support continues to deepen poverty, putting children at risk of dropping out of school and forcing them to abandon their dreams.
Tapas Shil, additional deputy commissioner of Sunamganj, said the closure of sand and stone quarries had put local people in a difficult situation.
The administration would lease the Jadukata sand quarry after resolving the legal complications, he added.
He said the Ministry of Mineral Resources would also take steps to lease the Dhopajan Chhati River quarry after completing a survey.
The government would expedite the processes to create employment opportunities for people currently out of work, he added.