RANGPUR, Jan 30, 2020 (BSS) – Experts and environmentalists have lauded the success achieved by many char people in adapting to climate change to generate livelihoods and lead a normal life on char areas in 10 northwestern districts.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh
Agriculturist Md. Mamunur Rashid said many char people have achieved self-reliance under adverse situations through income-generating activities (IGAs) under adverse situations.
The transformation of char people from vicious cycle of extreme poverty began with implementation of the 12-year term (2004-2016) Chars Livelihoods
Programmes (CLP), a joint government and non-government organisations’
initiative.
“Under the comprehensive programmes, some 5.50 lakh people of some 1.33
extremely poor char families have improved livelihoods adapting to seasonal
floods, river erosion and generational poverty amid changing climate,” he
said.
RDRS Bangladesh, one of the CLP implementing non-government partner
organisations, began working from 2004 with raising tiny plinths of houses of
char people relieving them from their struggles for survival during floods.
“The CLP has become a blessing for char people living on riverine island
chars of Kurigram, Bogra, Gaibandha, Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat,
Nilphamari, Rangpur, Pabna and Tangail districts on the Brahmaputra basin,”
Rashid said.
After raising plinths of houses of beneficiary families, various grants,
assets, training and other assistance were provided to make them self-reliant
through engaging them with various IGAs under GO-NGO joint supervisions.
Chairman of Rangpur-based research organisation ‘Northbengal Institute of
Development Studies’ Agriculturist and researcher Dr. Syed Samsuzzaman termed
the CLP as one of the most effective projects that helped char people in
adapting to climate change.
Chilmari upazila chairman Shawkat Ali Sarker, Bir Bikram, said CLP
successfully assisted char people in winning extreme poverty and improving
socio-economic conditions, living standard, health and hygiene.
Agriculturist Dr MA Mazid, who got Independence Award in food security
category in 2018, said successful adaptation to climate change, has enabled
char people cultivating various crops on riverine char areas in recent times.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at its
regional office Agriculturist Md Moniruzzaman said char people have
cultivated crops on over 90,000 hectares of char land and riverine areas in
the region during this dry season.
“The char people have mostly cultivated mustard, potato, pumpkin and other
vegetables, onions, green chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, groundnut,
‘kawn’, pulses, tobacco, pulses and watermelon and other crops on char
lands,” he said.
He said some 25,000 char households have achieved self-reliance through
farming various crops and IGAs on char lands changing their living standard
by cutting poverty.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad
Ali said char people have successfully adapted them to the changing climate
to cultivate crops on char lands and silted-up riverbeds in the region.
Talking to BSS, char people Anwar Hossain, Kobiza Khatun, Aklima Khatun,
Mahfil Haque and Kalim Uddin in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they have
cultivated various crops on sandy char lands this time like in the previous
years.