After a year of post-Covid-19 suffering, Bangladesh is struggling to go back to normal. Covid-19’s impact on people’s lives has been multi-dimensional. It has been difficult to mitigate everyday family demands.
Many had to rely on savings to survive. All indicate the countless sufferings of the Bangladeshi people. Some working-class people had to leave Dhaka then and, recently, many have done the same to avoid the current lockdown.
The second wave of Covid-19 has hit hard. The daily death rate was broken on April 13 when 83 people died of the novel coronavirus. 7,219 tested positive over the same time, taking the total number of infections to 691,957 in the country.
Controlling the skyrocketing infection rate will require, as most specialists agree, a countrywide lockdown. It is anticipated that this lockdown will keep people indoors for at least one week. Opposing the lockdown, garments owners, businessmen, and many daily working-class people are in favour of keeping their respective domains running. Their arguments are based on economic standpoints. But some advocates also argue that the corona transmission and scale of the recent toll will be unprecedented (on average 70 people dying every day).
A few days ago, I was picking beans on a family-owned farm with my kids. Glancing around, I noticed that the roads were empty. A large group of men, women, and children were moving towards the Mawa ferry ghat to cross the Buriganga river. They seemed to be carrying luggage in their hands.
I reached the main road and talked to some of them. I was told that they had walked from different parts of Dhaka city. Since there is no public transport due to the lockdown, they are going on foot to Mawa ferry ghat and the main reason is that, during lockdown, they would be unemployed.
So, it is better to go back home to escape hunger. They also said that when they wanted to hire a truck, it was stopped by police vehicles. As a result, they continued to walk to reach their destiny.
There have been such marches last year as well. To avoid the chaos, this year, they were leaving Dhaka before the lockdown. They were frustrated and scared not because of the pandemic, but because of the subsequent unemployment and hunger.
They told me, “It is good to leave Dhaka before lockdown to escape poverty.” Ramadan is coming. Everyday necessities are too expensive. It’s stressful, too: House rent has to be paid no matter the situation they face. Uncertainty awaits.
In making these observations, I want also to reflect upon the role of the state. The evidence I have presented here connects to Bangladesh as a whole. Losing jobs or moving back home indicates the possible loss of livelihood income and subsequent unemployment at the villages will have led to miserable conditions. One can assume that local-level livelihood options are not created.
Current lockdown will dispossess the workforce. The state is helpless; help/support is not provided this time. Uncertainties have threatened every sphere of life. The private sector has been advised to handle its workers/employees to face the pandemic. Neither the government nor the private sector has the policy to help the returnees locally.
It should be noted that many of the returnees will have no livelihood options once they are back. In my talk with the passers-by, they expressed helplessness and fury at how Dhaka was the site of the “bread provider” for their family.
One man was so upset that he stopped walking and became dumb. A housemaid told me she felt pain in her heart when she thought of the five part-time jobs she had, now left behind.
The tale of displacement is a crucial one. Indeed, the interviews with returnees revealed anger about the loss of their livelihoods. Covid-19 is not their primary concern. What they want is work, which feeds their families.
I got the impression that everyone seemed to be finding out alternative strategies to survive in an unknown future. My concern is that, due to displacement, we must not forget about what might happen afterward.
Taking lessons from last year, we have to realize that this second wave is not an end in itself; it is likely to be highly disastrous if we are not careful.
Zahir Ahmed is Professor, Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University.
