People of Gabura union have organized a human chain and assembly to demand fresh drinking water on the basis of climate justice on 17 November 2023 at Chakbara point of Gabura union under Shyamnagar Upazila organized by LEDARS. Mr. Mir Abdur Razzak former UP Member, Md. Alim Al Razi, Program Manager of LEDARS spoke at this human chain. The south-western region of Bangladesh is one of the hotspots of climate change. Due to climate change, cyclones, tidal waves, salinity are increasing at a significant rate in coastal areas. There is only salt water all around but no fresh water for food anywhere. Hence, the people of Gabura formed a human chain with the demand of “I want clean water” for the millions of people of the coast. Apart from this, Md. Arifur Rahman, PC of CREA project of LEDARS, Md. Shawkat Hossain, Team Leader of H2O Project, Tomalika Mollik, Advocacy Officer, Nitikesh Mondal, Technical Officer, Sulta Saha, Project Officer of LEDARS and many others were also present in this human chain and assembly. The speakers said that due to global warming due to climate change, the sea level is increasing by 4 millimeters per year. This height will increase further. As a result, more than 1 crore people will become homeless as the south coast sinks. In the meantime, frequent disasters and the raging of the Bay of Bengal are its early signs. Due to these calamities and lack of sustainable embankment, the village is drowning in salty water gradually. In addition to the destruction of the environment and settlements, the shortage of fresh water is intensifying. The speakers said that this level of salinity is increasing due to unplanned shrimp farming. They claim that diseases are spreading due to use of brackish water. In order to get rid of this crisis, the government must take various initiatives and make a master plan. In these areas, salinity has increased by 26 percent over the past 35 years, from 2 to 7 PPT. In the southern part of Bangladesh, salt water has penetrated deep into the land from the sea. As a result, people are forced to drink salty water. The speakers in the human chain demanded that the election manifesto of various political parties in the upcoming 12th national election should provide sustainable fresh water for the coastal people and adopt a long-term development plan for the coastal people.
