‘Tiger widows’ struggling to survive defy stigma
Blog by Sohanur Rahman, sharing his experience from a recent visit at Shyamnagar adjacent area of Sundarban in Bangladesh.
Sundarbans, a lush green UN world heritage site spread over 7,700 square miles of mostly swamp between Bangladesh and India, every villager who is a honey collector or fisherman has a tragic tiger story to share.
For example, The Gabura Union of Shyamnagar sub-district is mostly saline affected are due to sea level rise and riverbank erosion. The union is situated on the bank of Kholpetua River which separated the union from mainland and Sundarban. The total area is the coastal belt. So Cyclone, heavy rainfall, and the tidal wave hits almost every year and affects the people, damages their houses and crops, increase their sufferings which make them poor/ultra-poor. Sidor of 2007 and last Aila in 2009 affected badly on the whole population of this union.
In the rainy season paddy, vegetable and other crops usually damaged by waterlogging. There are not possible to do agriculture. Fish farmer’s loss their fishes due to the overflow of water. More than 75% per cent (approx.) people are living below the poverty line (Source: Gabura Union Parishad). They have to live from hand to mouth. For this reason, They…
