Meghna’s floating twigs keeps Char Fasson families afloat

CHAR FASSON, BHOLA, Aug 28: For more than 50 impoverished and river erosion-hit families living along the Meghna River in Char Madraj Union of Char Fasson Upazila, floating branches and pieces of wood brought by the river during the monsoon have become a vital source of livelihood.

As the Meghna swells with rainwater during the monsoon, strong currents carry branches and broken trees from upstream areas towards the riverbanks. Local residents, including women and children, wait along the shore and venture into the turbulent river to collect the floating wood.

Despite the risk of being swept away by strong currents and waves, they take the chance to support their families.

Using specially made hooks attached to bamboo poles and ropes, they pull floating wood towards the shore. Some also swim into the river to collect the branches.

The collected wood is then stacked along the riverbank to dry. Since most of it is soaked with water, it cannot be sold or used immediately. Families leave the wood under the sun for several days before tying it into bundles and selling it as fuel.

During cloudy and rainy weather, the drying process takes longer, increasing their hardship.

Visitors to the riverbank areas of Char Madraj can see rows of wood and branches stacked along the shore, resembling bundles of harvested crops.

Once dried, the wood is sold in local markets, mainly to households, hotels and restaurants, and brick kilns. The families earn around Tk 300-500 a day by selling the fuel wood, according to locals.

Many of these families have no farmland or stable source of income. During fishing bans, particularly when fishing for hilsa is restricted, the floating wood becomes an alternative source of income.

For families struggling to make ends meet, even this small income helps put food on the table.

Ramiz Ali, a resident of the riverbank area, said they remain alert whenever the river swells and rainfall increases.

"When we see trees and branches floating in the river, we immediately get into the water. Without this wood, we would have to go without food during the monsoon," he said.

"The river takes away our homes, but these floating branches give us a way to survive for a few days," he added.

Local residents said many of the families collecting the wood were themselves victims of river erosion and had taken shelter near the embankment in Char Madraj.

The same river that destroys their homes also provides them with a means of survival through the floating timber carried by its currents.

Although selling the collected wood allows them to manage basic meals, their living conditions remain extremely poor.

Local conscious citizens have called for permanent employment opportunities and government assistance for these marginalised families.

They said financial support during disasters and rehabilitation programmes could reduce the need for people to risk their lives in the turbulent Meghna to collect floating wood.