The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Chittagong

Continued erosion, hazardous transportation system, lack of modern utility services like power, healthcare, safe drinking water and telephone have turned the once vibrant island Sandwip into a place of untold misery.

Lives and property of people of Sandwip, an island approximately 10 nautical miles off from Sitakunda coast surrounded by sea, remains at stake due to regular attack of natural calamities like tidal surge, cyclone and flood.

Officially 5,000 and unofficially 7,000 to 8,000 people were killed in Sandwip upazila when devastating cyclone hit the country's coastal zone on April 29 in 1991.

At least 30 percent out of about 4 lakh people of the island were forced to migrate to safer places in Chittagong city and other parts of the country as their homesteads were destroyed following unabated erosion.

According to the official records the Sandwip island had emerged about 3,000 years ago on the Bay of Bengal and the total area of the island was about 630 square km in the 15th century which was reduced to only 80-90 square km as the island eroded into the Bay of Bengal and the Meghna.

At least eight unions of the island-Katgar, Batajora,

Hudrakhali, Izzatpur , Dirgaparh, Nemosti, Rohinee and Amirabad were abolished from the map in the last 60 years.

Apart from uncountable numbers of private and public establishments devoured in the sea over the period, Sandwip upazila sadar had to shift fro Harishpur to Harameah, about 5 years back.

"Each year many families were forced to leave their homesteads either to safer places in the island or other parts of the city saying goodbye to their beloved ancestral homes," said Mohammad Jasimuddin , President of Sandwip Adhiker Sangrakkhan Committee (SASC).

There are instances that a family had to shift their home four to five times in last 50 years due to ferocity of nature. Many affluent families became poorer as they lost their assets and traditional means of subsistence following cyclone, tidal surge and erosion, he said.

Major portion of the embankment surrounding the island stretching about 58 km either damaged completely or partially incapacitating it to protect the land and its inhabitants from tidal surge or inundation during the rainy season

At least 2,000 families, most of those earn their living by fishing or doing petty jobs at Azimpur, Rahmatpur, Maitbhanga, Sarika, Harispur and Musapur unions have been residing on the embankment, close to the sea with risks as their original homesteads devoured in the sea.

"Where can we go? Who will provide us with money for purchasing land for building new home? Struggling with the sea and natural calamities is our fate." Anjali, 40, Anu Bala, 25, Kajal, 30, and Priyalal, 35, of Jaladashpara of Azimpur union told BSS.

"Our beloved homeland Sandwip - once resourceful and historic place will be vanished from the map in near future if such abrasion by sea and river goes continuously," SASC President Mohammad Jasimuddin said.

Health Secretary AKM Jafarullah Khan, who hails from Sandwip viewed that construction of a sustainable embankment can protect the island from devouring in the sea and also during natural calamities.

He told a views sharing meeting organized by SASC recently at Sandwip upazila sadar that sufferings of the people of Sandwip could be minimized to a greater extent if sustainable embankment and safe jetties at both Sandwip and Sitakunda are constructed, and power supply is ensured.

He said the government has been actively considering to formulate a coordinated development schemes to address the problems of the island.

He said at least five secretaries of different ministries including power, water resources, shipping, law, and health and family planning are scheduled to visit Sandwip in the middle of January to witness the problems physically and ascertain the ways of their solutions.

Meanwhile, Water Development Board (WDB) officials here said the construction and repair work of 12.4 km out of a total 58 km embankments including a sluice gate at a cost of about Taka eight crore under a three-year scheme titled "Rehabilitation of Coastal Polders most at Risked" was progressing fast which will be completed by June next year.

Serajul Islam Bhuiyan, Assistant Engineer of WBD, Chittagong told BSS that about 39 out of 58 km embankment need to be repaired and two out of a total 26 sluice gates were washed away while two are under threat following continuous erosion.

He said they have submitted proposal to sanction money for constructing embankment stretching six km which was damaged completely. He is hopeful that the tender would be floated in January next on availability of fund.