Human rights denied: Life in Char Nizam and Char Alam

Nearly 13,000 residents across Char Nizam and Char Alam under Dhalchar Union in Char Fasson upazila of the district live in subhuman conditions, deprived of basic civic amenities and fundamental rights for nearly 50 years.

Situated at the confluence of the Meghna River and the Bay of Bengal, residents of these two geographically isolated islands face daily hardships, struggling for food, healthcare, and education while constantly battling natural disasters.

Engine-driven boats and trawlers remain the sole means of communication with the mainland. Navigating the turbulent Meghna River becomes hazardous during the monsoon season.

Inside the islands, paved or unpaved roads are non-existent, forcing residents to walk through deep mud. Emergency medical services are absent due to the lack of hospitals or community clinics.

Local residents said critically ill patients and pregnant women often die on their way to the upazila headquarters aboard trawlers.

Safe drinking water is scarce as tube-well water suffers from high salinity and iron levels. Most deep tube-wells installed by the government are non-functional.

Women walk long distances to collect drinking water from ponds, leading to frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases.

"We have not been able to drink tube-well water for a long time. We survive by drinking saline river water," said Nargis Bibi, a local resident.

Educational facilities are almost non-existent, with informal mosque-based initiatives serving as the only option. Once religious education ends, nearly all children drop out. Boys enter the fishing trade, while girls face child marriage.

Lacking permanent embankments, the islands suffer directly from cyclones and tidal surges. High tides submerge homesteads and wash away livestock, while severe river erosion destroys homes and cropland every year.

Most residents are landless families living temporarily on government khas land, relying on agriculture and fishing for their livelihoods. Government welfare projects fail to yield results due to a lack of supervision caused by geographic remoteness.

Furthermore, local residents alleged that land grabbers are attempting to evict them from the island.

Contacted, Char Fasson Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Emadul Hossain said, following an application signed by 524 residents of Char Nizam on April 28, 2018, the Deputy Commissioner of Bhola brought the two islands under Char Fasson jurisdiction through mouza relocation.

Survey operations are currently underway, and a permanent solution will be reached once completed, he added.

Char Fasson Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rumana Afroz said the administration is aware of the suffering endured by the isolated islanders.

Coverage under the government's social safety net has been expanded, and new plans are being adopted to provide education and healthcare services to the area, she added.

-SF/SA