In a small, dilapidated shelter beside a canal in Haoladar Bari of Pratapnagar union in Satkhira’s Ashashuni upazila, Shahjahan Ali, in his seventies, and his wife Rabeya Begum, in her sixties, spend their days gazing at the water that has destroyed their lives.
They once owned two bighas of land, a mango orchard, paddy fields and a well-maintained home. But Super Cyclone Amphan in May 2020 breached nearby embankments, allowing saline water from the Kholpetua and Kapatakkha rivers to inundate their homestead and farmland. Repeated flooding gradually destroyed their land and livelihoods.
As river erosion and salinity worsened, their adult sons left in search of work, taking their children with them.
“I miss my grandchildren, but what can we do? They have left in search of work. Where can we go at this age? We once had everything, including our loved ones. Now, there is nobody,” Rabeya said.
Her husband, Shahjahan Ali, recalled how his wife’s family once owned hundreds of bighas of land.
“I can no longer work because of my illness. Whatever our son gives us is not enough to run the household, and we often go hungry. I am tired of this lonely life. Now, I am simply waiting for death,” he said.
Their story reflects a growing crisis along Bangladesh’s southwestern coast, where climate-related disasters are destroying livelihoods, driving migration and leaving elderly people increasingly isolated.
Salinity threatens livelihoods
Shamsun Nahar Ratna, a senior scientific officer at the Soil Resource Development Institute’s Satkhira regional office, said salinity in the Kholpetua River had risen from 22-25 decisiemens per metre in 2019 to as high as 50-55 in 2026.
According to Bangladesh’s 2024 Soil Salinity Map, around 1.16 million hectares of the country’s 1.70 million hectares of coastal agricultural land have become severely saline.
Ratna attributed the worsening situation partly to declining upstream river flows, irregular rainfall and the movement of saline water towards the soil surface. The resulting damage to farmland is pushing farmers towards fish and shrimp farming.
Displacement and growing hardship
According to figures cited in the report, around 2.5 million people were displaced from coastal areas during Amphan in 2020. Data from the International Organization for Migration and the government indicate that approximately 4.96 million people are internally displaced by disasters such as floods, river erosion and storm surges. The World Bank has warned that Bangladesh could have nearly 20 million internal climate migrants by 2050 without effective action.
A joint survey by Satkhira municipality and development organisation Uttaran found that 10,133 families had moved to the district town over 22 years because of natural disasters. Around 84% had lost their homes to river erosion, storm surges and salinity.
Many now live in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing, sanitation and drainage facilities.
In neighbouring Gabura union of Shyamnagar upazila, 60-year-old Fazila Khatun, a widow who is partially paralysed, struggles to survive after her children left in search of work.
“We used to live by farming. Now there is salt everywhere. Even a vegetable plant cannot survive. We have to walk miles to collect drinking water,” she said.
Environmental activist and researcher Piyush Baulia Pintu blamed repeated cyclones, unplanned shrimp farming and poorly planned sluice gates for weakening embankments. In parts of Gabura, including Durgabati, Harinnagar, Singhortali and Jelekhali, erosion has swallowed homes and entire settlements.
He said some displaced residents had taken out loans to buy vans or venture into unfamiliar occupations but were later forced to leave when they could not repay their debts.
Farida Parvin, a reserved-seat woman member of Gabura union parishad, said climate change, particularly persistent river erosion, tidal surges and severe cyclones, was the main driver of displacement in the area.
“Income-generating opportunities are also extremely limited. Previously, paddy cultivation provided jobs for around 20 labourers during the farming season. But saltwater fish and shrimp farming requires only one worker, leaving the other 19 unemployed and forcing them to leave the area,” she said.
Cultural loss and social isolation
Madhab Chandra Dutta, executive director of human rights organisation Swadesh, said climate change was also causing non-economic losses, including the erosion of cultural identity, mental well-being and social bonds.
Traditional practices such as boat races, folk songs and rituals associated with Bonbibi and Manasa are disappearing as people abandon their ancestral homes and traditional occupations.
Bhakta Munda, a resident of Datinakhali, said the struggle to survive had overshadowed cultural life.
“After Amphan and Yaas, people became so preoccupied with survival that the joy of festivals disappeared. Social bonds among neighbours are also fading,” he said.
Farida Parvin, a reserved-seat woman member of Gabura union parishad, said shrinking employment opportunities were accelerating migration.
“During the paddy cultivation season, around 20 labourers could find work in a field. But shrimp farming can often be managed by just one worker. The others are left without jobs and forced to leave,” she said.
According to Farida, around two in every 10 families in Gabura have relocated, while elderly parents are often left behind without independent sources of income.
Calls for long-term solutions
Ashik-e-Elahi, convener of the Satkhira Climate Council, said climate change had become a human rights issue. He called for accessible loans and entrepreneurship support to help young people remain in agriculture, alongside greater investment in vulnerable communities.
Dutta urged authorities to build durable concrete-block embankments, rehabilitate displaced families on available government-owned land and create alternative employment opportunities.
Sonia Akter Pushpa, a psychosocial counsellor at Moner Bondhu, said migration was placing severe psychological pressure on women and elderly people left behind. She called for local employment opportunities, regular communication between family members and community-based mental health services.
Without sustained investment in embankments, rehabilitation, livelihoods and psychosocial support, experts warn, coastal communities risk losing not only their homes but also their cultural heritage and social bonds.
