Meherjan lives in a slum on the Sirajgonj Town Protection Embankment. Herpolythene roofed shelter looks like a cage. She is nearly 45 but looks more than her
age. In front of her shelter, she is
trying to make a fire to cook the
day’s only meal. Her weak hands
tremble as she adds some fallen
leaves and straw to the fire. The
whispering wind from the river
Jamuna makes the fire unsteady.
The dancing of the flames reminds
Meherjan of the turmoil in her life.
Not long ago Meherjan had everything--- a family, cultivable land and cattle. The
erosion of the Jamuna consumed gradually all her landed property. It finally claimed
her last shelter during the last monsoon. It took the river only a day to demolish
Meher’s house, trees, vegetable garden and the bamboo bush. She had a happy family
once. Over the years, she lost her husband and her family to diseases that cruel
hunger and poverty brought to the family. Now, she is the only one left to live on
with the loss and the pain. The greedy Jamuna has shattered her dreams and
happiness.
There are thousand others waiting to share the same fate with Meherjan. Bangladesh
is a land of rivers that affect its people. Erosion is a harsh reality for the people living
along the river banks. During each monsoon many more villages are threatened by
the roaring of rivers like the Jamuna, the Padma and the Meghna. It is estimated that
river erosion makes at least 100,000 people homeless every year in Bangladesh. In
fact, river erosion is one of the main dangers caused by climate change. If we can’t
take prompt actions to adapt to climate change, there will be thousands of more
Meherjans in our towns and villages every year.
