Shrinking rivers shrink livelihoods

Boatmen in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram are struggling to remain afloat, facing a situation of seasonal unemployment.

Amid the dry winter, around 26 rivers in the districts, including Brahmaputra, Teesta, and Dharla, have dried up and lost navigability, with shoals appearing across them.

Around 200 ghats in the districts, which remain busy for rest of the year, are now empty, leaving around 1,000 boatmen amid a livelihood crisis.

"I am unable to ply my boat while people are crossing the Teesta on foot. Every year we face a livelihood crisis during dry season," said Julhas Mia, a boatman in Kalmati area of Lalmonirhat.

"Of the seven boatmen in this ghat, three have started pulling rickshaws, while the other four are also considering joining other professions," he said.

"Even a decade ago, the situation was different. The river did dry up but remained navigable, and we could ply boats round the year," he added.

"Due to lack of income, we are in dire straits to support our families," said Majidul Islam, a boatman at Shimulbari ghat on Dharla River in Kurigram.

Boatmen Hazrat Ali at Begumganj ghat on Brahmaputra river and Bulbul Islam on Jinjiram river echoed them.

"I have been plying boats for 35 years. Now I am at a standstill, with no earnings…. I don't know what to do if I leave this profession," said boatman Mansur Ali at Bamondanga ghat on Dudhkumar river in Kurigram.

"As there is no water in the Teesta river, we can cross it on foot. Riding boats is rather difficult now," said Jasim Uddin, a farmer of Dawabari Char under Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha upazila.