HAVOC IN HAOR Another face of ‘development’

IT HAS been more than one month that the haor areas are under water. Incessant rain coupled with surge of water from the hills in the bordering areas of the greater Sylhet region caused a flash flood. The media reports have revealed that, the only crop of the haor region, Boro of 3.5 lakh hectares land have been completely inundated. The media has also reported about large scale mortality of fish and live stock. In total the impact of this flash flood is unprecedented in the history of haors in Bangladesh. According to the Paribesh o Haor Unnayan Sangstha, the estimated loss from the flash flood is worth tk. 130 billion. This is only the monetary loss; it does not include the everyday suffering of people in affected area. The latest nor’wester has further aggravated the situation, as thousands of houses were destroyed, trees were uprooted and standing crops were damaged. 
However, the government of Bangladesh is still refusing to declare this unprecedented havoc in haor region as a disaster zone. In the words of disaster management and relief minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya; there are not enough reasons to declare flashflood-hit haor areas as disaster zone. Not only that, the secretary of relief ministry Shah Kamal recently mentioned the ‘rule’ and criterion for declaring a disaster zone and that is, in his words, half of the population of an area have need to die for a government to declare it a ‘disaster zone.’ How a secretary can make such cruel remark when more than 20 lakh families are deeply affected? In the backdrop of the callous statements of the minister and the secretary, would it be unjust to say that the government lacks empathy for the people in haor region?
The government’s initiative to provide relief to the affected people rather a token effort, if not mockery as it declared a 100 day scheme for the 3.5 lakh families. Under this scheme each family will get only 30 kgs of rice and Tk. 500 per month. When according to the statistics of the ministry of disaster management and relief, the number of affected families is more than 8.5 lakh and the number of families in that region dependent on Boro rice production is more than 20 lakh, how is it that the government fixes the target as 3.5 lakh families for the relief scheme? Even the local members of the parliament have claimed that a 100 day scheme is inadequate to meet the real demands of the people. Moreover, the cases of irregularities and corruption in relief distribution are already making news. It is not unexpected at all considering that the corruption itself has contributed, if not caused the flash flood. As of the media reports of May 5, only one third of the unions of Sunamganj are covered under the government’s relief work.
Different citizens’ group and political organisations are criticizing the government for its token, performative relief works and failure to control corruption in haor embankment projects. Many media has named the corruption and negligence in repairing and maintenance of those embankments as the prime cause of corruption. The delayed and poor construction made those embankments too weak to withstand the onrush of water from the hills. Even the state minister for finance and planning, M A Mannan has acknowledged the corruption. He directly pointed to the irregularity and negligence in constructing the haor protection dams and to the corruption of the Water Development Board officials. No doubt that those corrupt officials should be punished for this disaster. But the question is, are they the only culprits for this incidence? 
If we look deeper, the answer will be different. Very simple questions: why the flash flood should be treated as villain for haors? Is it not a very normal and expected phenomenon for haors? Wasn’t this flash flood historically considered a blessing for the haor-ecosystem? Moreover, one should raise a question that, why the mortality of fish and live stock has occurred in such a mass scale? There were reports and concerns that these death may be caused by uranium pollution. On the other side of the border, the Khasi communities of India living in Ranikor river basin (which is very close to Tanguar Haor) are protesting against the pollution of Ranikor River. They are accusing the Uranium toxins from numerous drilling mining-pits kept open near the bordering area, and these open pits are causing the pollution. Therefore, the concern of uranium contamination in flash flood area is not unfounded. However the official investigation report of Meghalayan Government stated in past that the hazard in Ranikor River might be a result of pollution came from coal mining activities adjacent to that area; it did not happen because of Uranium. In these circumstances, government should conduct meticulous and sincere investigation without hurriedly drawing conclusion.
Experts have already pointed to the mining activities in India as a reason behind the siltation of rivers, low and wetlands adjacent to haors in significant ways. The flash floods now contain historically unusual amount of silt. Moreover, we need to keep in mind, and emphasize that flashflood is not a matter of control; it is integral part of haor ecosystem. The corruption in the dam building projects must be prevented; however, that it in itself will not resolve the problem in the area. We need to dig deeper to identify the real and structural cause of the current crisis. 
All the rivers, wetlands in the area are now filled with silts in historically unprecedented way and interrupting natural flow of water. Where the water will go? It seems that the government chose to completely ignore this fact because the philosophy of development that the government follows for haor focuses mainly on building embankments, crop protection dams and infrastructures. In the name of ‘development’ many high roads are built in these areas. Not only that, now there are news that the government will build a new cantonment for Bangladesh Army across the area! These ‘development’ activities are actually making the situation worse.
According to experts, these ‘development’ infrastructures are actually hampering the free water flow of haors and destroying the haor-ecosystem. When the government should address the trans-boundary river issues to tackle the current disaster and find a permanent solution to it, the government is just focusing on how the embankments can be raised higher! The fraudulent development philosophy followed by successive governments’ decade long green revolution projects, the local varieties of rice which were compatible with the ecosystem of haors are now completely extinct. The characteristic of those rice varieties was such that those could easily adjust with the flash-floods. Sadly, now those eco-friendly varieties are a history. In addition, the careless practice of using pesticides and fertilizers risks aquatic lives from chemical contamination in the water. Many local people have suggested the same that the large scale death of fish in flash flood areas may have caused from pesticide use. 
This fraudulent philosophy of development oriented towards ecological destruction and profiteering is not new. This is the same old development philosophy which was imposed on the third world for the profit of giant multinational corporations. This is the same philosophy which excludes ‘common people’ from the idea of development and promotes over development of the few. This is the same philosophy which never considers the ecosystem as part of development. It is the practice of this philosophy that the Buriganga is now a dead river. This philosophy always seeks for short term economic benefit. It prefers eco-tourism more than conserving nature. That is why this philosophy sees benefit in the Rampal Power Plant and prefers the destruction of the world’s largest mangrove. It also finds benefits from the proposed Ruppur power plant — no matter the threats it poses. 
It also shows how the advocates and executors of this fraudulent development philosophy act when the actual implementation of this philosophy makes people’s life miserable. When the officials of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development directorate should have been on the ground serving people round the clock, four out of the five officials are reportedly abroad! Though the agricultural loan recovery in haor areas is suspended, what about the NGO-loans? While the farmer’s loan should be waived completely, is only suspension moral enough? In addition, the issue of affected educational activities is completely ignored! Who will hear the cry of affected students?
The ongoing havoc in haor is just another face of this destructive development philosophy. At this moment many people and organizations are collecting relief for the haor-people. These activities should be continued. But those who want a long term solution of this haor problem must have to realise that, relief and building or rising embankments or dams are not the solution, the solution lies in challenging the fraudulent philosophy of development and people’s movement to force the government to change their policy of profit making based on anti-people development philosophy.

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