Uttam Kumar from Rajshahi
Alamgir hossein. He is 39 years old. He lives at Mohur village of Tanore sub-district under Rajshahi district. After the death of his parents he inherited 5 Migha of land where he cultivate Aman rice every year. This year he prepared seedbed and lands just at the start of June and hope to transplant the seedling after 15-20 days. Though the samplings of seedbeds have grown up yet he could not transplant them due to lack of rain. Having no other means he transplanted the seedlings in the main land buying water from the owner of deep tube-wells after taking lot of trouble to get serial for water. Since then he could not water the newly transplanted seedlings. Due to lack of rain and having no water the lands get dried and the transplanted seedlings got damaged. However, due to lack of rainfall most farmers in the Barind tract experienced the same like Alamgir Hossein. Those who could transplanted the seedlings using deep tube-well water even could not manage to irrigate their land as they have to struggle for getting water from the deep tube-wells due to high demand. This happen because even in this rainy season there is lack of rainfall in the area.
Md Alamgir leads an organization named ‘Muhor Swapna Asahar Alo’ which was formed with the membership of yout. Through this organization development activities have been conducted to address different problems of the area. Nonetheless, Md. Alamagir knows that he has nothing to do with the lack of rainfall but he has initiated an innovative way to send message to every farmers regarding farmers have and poor community do not contribute in the rapid change of climate. Have gave a paper to each of the farmers where it is written ‘we farmers do not contribute in the rapid of climate change and we want climate justice’. With his leadership the farmers conducted a demonstration standing near the crops fields with the placards written with different slogans. Most of the farmers in the village participated in the demonstration which caught the attention of the media recently.
Jamela Bagum (45) bought deep tube-well water to transplant her seedlings taking loans from others. But the transplanting she could not irrigate her crops due to lack of water leading her crops to damage in the fields. She is helpless now thinking how to feed the members of her family as they depend on the crops for their livelihoods. She too rush to the demonstration site with a paper in her hand where was written ‘we want climate justice.
However, it is natural that it will be raining during the rainy season and farmers with grow crops using the rain water for irrigation. But this year the people in the Barind Tract have not found any rain during the rainy season. Their crop fields are dry and their crops in the field are burnt with strong sun. Farmers do not have any leisure to think about climate change and they do not understand what a climate change is! But due to climate change they do not experience rain during the rainy season. The unwanted drought has caused them huge loss. They rush behind the deep tube-well owners to get water for irrigation of their crops. The owners of deep tube-well also faced problem to manage water for all. Md Mukhlesur Rahman the driver of the deep tube-well said, ‘We do not need to operate the deep during the Aman season due to heavy rain but this year the reverse thing happens. We have to operate the deep since the start of the Aman season but could not manage to supply water for all farmers. Besides, less water comes out from the underground this time.’
