S. M. Saiful Islam Kabir from  Sundarbans

The coastal belt of the world's largest mangrove forest and World Heritage Site—the Sundarbans—is both a land of crisis and potential. Known as a rich fishery zone, the coastal region of southwestern Bangladesh is plagued by storms, tidal surges, river erosion, livelihood risks, and grinding poverty. It’s a land where survival is a daily struggle.

Based on three key indicators—cyclone vulnerability, tidal fluctuation, and salinity—Bangladesh’s 16 coastal districts are classified into eastern, central, and western coastal regions.

 The eastern coast includes Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, and Chandpur; the central coast includes Bhola, Barisal, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Barguna, and Shariatpur; while the western coast comprises Khulna, Bagerhat, and Satkhira. These districts are home to over 35 million people who live in constant battle against natural calamities like floods, cyclones, tidal surges, and even epidemics. They also fight erosion, waterlogging, and waterborne diseases—products of both natural and man-made causes.

For many, poverty and a life of hardship are the norm. Adding to their woes are severe shortages of potable water, arsenic contamination of groundwater, extreme salinity in soil and water, pollution, and the risks posed by climate change—all of which have made life and livelihood increasingly difficult, slowing social and economic progress in these regions.

Statistics show that 131 upazilas in coastal districts are severely affected by saline water intrusion. Despite the shift to salt-tolerant agriculture and fish farming, little visible improvement in living standards has been achieved. Daily wage earners in the coastal belt are constantly being pushed out by salinity, erosion, and tidal surges. Farming is also hampered by intense salinity.

Although shrimp farming is the mainstay for residents in Khulna, Bagerhat, and Satkhira, rivers supplying water to the shrimp ponds are heavily silted, depriving many farms of water most of the year. This means farmers can't release shrimp fry into ponds in time. Furthermore, the prevalence of shrimp diseases renders small-scale farmers unable to recover even their investments, let alone make a profit. Unstable shrimp market prices only worsen their financial struggle. Add to that the frequent loss of land and homes due to natural disasters—stories of total ruin are all too common.

The coastal stretch from Teknaf’s Naf River estuary to Satkhira’s bordering rivers Raimangal and Kalindi spans 710 kilometers. Bangladesh is a riverine nation with nearly 700 rivers totaling approximately 22,155 km. This web of rivers and its proximity to the sea makes it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Bangladesh ranks 9th among the world’s most disaster-prone nations, having suffered 185 major climate-related disasters in the past two decades, causing an estimated economic loss of $3.72 billion USD. It ranks 7th globally in terms of climate vulnerability.

Back in the 1960s, 139 polders (embankments) were built across 5,810 km of coastal land in 13 districts. Shockingly, even 52 years after independence, no new polders have been constructed. Instead, time has been spent merely repairing the outdated embankments built during Pakistan's rule. These structures can no longer withstand modern-day tidal surges and cyclones. About 15,000 sq km of coastal land along the 710 km coastline remains unprotected.

The Water Development Board reports that successive cyclones, including the devastating 1970 and 1991 storms, have left most embankments in fragile condition. Cyclone Sidr alone destroyed 2,341 km of embankments, 391 km of which were completely washed away. Cyclone Aila in 2009 severely damaged 684 km of the 1,651 km embankments across 38 polders in Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat. More recently, Cyclone Amphan in 2020 destroyed 478 km and partially damaged 678 km of embankments in 10 coastal districts.

When Super Cyclone Mocha approached recently, coastal residents lived in terror. Luckily, Mocha did not strike the Bangladesh coast. Had it done so, the damage would have surpassed all previous cyclones. Rebuilding from such a disaster during a global economic crisis would have been an immense challenge. Although Mocha missed, there's no guarantee another super cyclone won’t strike. Hence, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief must take such threats seriously.

Rather than waiting for disasters to strike before reacting with relief and aid, the government could redirect those funds toward sustainable embankments and cyclone shelters. Every time a disaster looms, media outlets report on the absence of proper embankments or their breaches—but these reports fade post-disaster. Even if budgets are allocated, they often remain on paper. Locals claim they are forced to rebuild the embankments themselves through voluntary labor, while officials and local representatives siphon off the allocated funds.

Often, disaster aid is mismanaged or misappropriated, with distribution turned into media spectacles. As a result, the people demand a reliable monitoring cell to ensure proper utilization of funds allocated for sustainable embankment construction. The people of the coast have resigned themselves to the harsh reality that only through their own effort and innovation can they survive nature's wrath. Generations have passed witnessing how state aid rarely reaches them intact. When it finally does, it has little value left. They now demand sustainable, long-lasting embankments, not short-term relief.

Given the force of the coastal rivers connected to the Bay of Bengal, earthen embankments are simply not durable. Only long-lasting concrete structures can protect these shores. Furthermore, nearly 50% of the trees planted under the Coastal Green Belt Project have vanished due to poor maintenance. As a result, the entire 710 km coastal region is vulnerable to salinity and tidal surges.

A renewed effort is necessary to expand the coastal green belt and plant forests along newly built embankments. Although there are 7,030 cyclone shelters, they fall far short of what's needed for the more than 35 million coastal residents. Each person is allocated just two square feet of space in a shelter—not enough for anyone to stay for long, let alone women, children, or the elderly. With warnings issued 56 hours in advance, many people avoid going to shelters due to overcrowding, often resulting in fatalities.

The coastal zone is rich in natural resources—mangrove forests, fishing, shrimp farming, tourism, inland water transport, ship-breaking, and oil and gas exploration. Yet it constantly faces threats from both natural disasters and human exploitation. Bangladesh lacks a truly integrated coastal zone management plan that accounts for environmental priorities. Unregulated privatization of land, increased pressure on resources, water degradation, political conflicts, destruction of mangroves for shrimp farming, institutional and legal weaknesses, land grabbing, river encroachment, piracy, and repeated disasters—these issues urgently need prioritized resolution.

There are significant limitations in Bangladesh’s disaster preparedness. The government must take robust steps to protect coastal areas at risk from climate change. Although Bangladesh has been globally praised for its efforts, greater caution is needed. Environmentalists warn that by 2050, 14% of Bangladesh could be submerged due to climate change, creating over 35 million climate refugees. Rising temperatures, excessive rainfall, flooding, droughts, erosion, and sea-level rise are challenges the coastal region must now confront.