Malaria piles misery on the Thanchi people

Malaria is spreading rapidly in Thanchi, a remote hilly upazila of Bandarban that has already been affected by serious food crisis, said Brac officials yesterday.

As many as 572 people were detected with malaria in May, and the number rose to 2,341 in June, they said, citing the data of Brac's malaria control programme there.

The prevalence of malaria is usually high in the hill tracts. As people go into the jungles more frequently in search of food, more get infected, they said.

“Rapid rise in malaria is preventing many from getting involved in economic activities and jhum cultivation,” said Gawher Nayeen Wahra, director of Disaster Management Climate Change (DMCC) of Brac, at a press conference in the capital's Brac Centre Inn.

As a result, food crisis may turn into a long-term problem unless appropriate measures are taken to address it, he said.

Brac malaria programme is working there, but it needs to be strengthened, Gawher said.

Brac officials visited the upazila twice -- once in early June and the next in the mid-June -- to assess the situation.

According to a Brac statement, around 20,000 people, mostly in four unions -- Tindu, Remakri, Nayacharanpara and Jolupara -- were affected by food crisis that was triggered by cyclone Komen in July last year during the beginning of jhum cultivation season.

Many farmers could neither do jhum cultivation nor preserve harvest for the rest of the year. Besides, they could not ship seasonal fruits and other crops they produced due to higher transport cost caused by poor communication system.

 Meanwhile, the stock of hill potatoes, a good source of food, had also depleted as the locals depended more on potatoes due to the food crisis, the statement said.

There was a food scheme in the upazila run by the World Food Programme but the organisation stopped the project in 2014. Traditionally, the hill people used to cut bamboos from parts of Sangu Reserve Forest, but the government has recently banned it.

“There is sufficient concern for the children there. Prolonged food crisis is affecting their health,” the statement said, adding that children are forced to work.

The government has recently started rice distribution there, but it requires national ID card to get the supply. Many of them do not have NIDs as they live in remote areas, said Gawher.

Brac has recently started a programme for 1,000 families in the upazila. Under the programme, each family would get Tk 2,000, which will help them buy medicines, daily essentials and food.

“Such programmes may work for a short-term, but for a long-term solution, a long-term programme is required,” said Kazi Abu Mohammad Morshed, director for advocacy and social change of Brac.

He sought the government's intervention so that the hill people could restart jhum cultivation and find alternative means.

Morshed also suggested issuing NIDs for Thanchi people so that they could collect the government supply without difficulties.

Among other things suggested by Brac officials are fixing a schedule for rice distribution and announcing the date earlier, and relaxing the ban temporarily on collecting wood from Sangu forest.