Rafiqul Islam Montu

“We have no place to live in our homeland. The island where I was born and raised has abandoned us.

“I’m struggling to make a living with my orphaned children. I have endured financial crises and social barriers over the years.

Before the start of the disaster season, there is a rush of house changes along the coast. People on the banks of the Meghna River are busy repairing their houses.

A fishing village on the seashore. The village is repeatedly submerged by tidal waters. It rises again, and work resumes. But the people remain in crisis year after year.

The hungry river is coming towards us. Where will we go now?

‘We are surviving by fighting the river’s current,’ said Morjina Khatun, 50, of Katmarchar village in Koyra upazila of Khulna district, wiping away tears. Morjina Begum’s struggle began after her husband Nurul Islam died in 2015. Natural hazards have made her struggle even more difficult.