A Tale of Paradise lost: Climate refugee in Bangladesh

Munshiganj, Bangladesh – Pushparani debi, a wiry 37-year-old, has never driven a car, run an air conditioner or done much of anything that produces greenhouse gases. But on a warming planet, she is on the verge of becoming a climate refugee. In the past 10 years the farmer has had to tear down and move his tin-and-bamboo house five times to escape the encroaching waters of the huge Bramhamputra River in Kurigram, swollen by severe monsoons that scientists believe are caused by global warming and greater glacier melt in the Himalayas. Bangladesh, which has 140 million people packed into an area a little smaller than Illinois, is one of the most vulnerable places to climate change. As the sea level slowly rises, this nation that is little more than a series of low-lying delta islands amid some of Asia's mightiest rivers -- the Ganges, Jamuna-Brahmaputra and Meghna -- is seeing saltwater creep into its coastal soils and drinking water. This year the electric tidal force of flood or harsh Cyclone Sidr blow or the crushing rivers all have altered lives of this inhabitance. Some lost child from lap. Some swayed away crops from field, some might lost own piece of yard. Life has changed for these people, has gone forever their tiny little stories. Only flood took away 1.5 million acr of crop, Sidr snatched away 10 to 15 thousand lives and river erosion galloped couple of thousand acres. Bashumati's mighty Padma has changed. Monwara's Quran is no more. Hatem Ali's milking cow has lost into vein-everything has changed for these people, for them life won't be ever like before. Today in Bangladesh, there are thousands of Bashumatis, Monwaras and Hatem alis...all have become the unfortunate children of the last paradise lost. Once happy villagers today have turned into mere 'Climate Refugee'.

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About

Munem Wasif is a documentary photographer born in Bangladesh in 1983. Wasif started his photographic career as a feature photographer for the Daily Star, a leading English daily of Bangladesh. He worked for two years with DrikNEWS agency. In 2007, He was selected for the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass in the Netherlands. In 2008, he won International Award « F25 » of the Fabrica and « City of Perpignan Young Reporter’s Award » in Perpignan. His work is exhibited worldwide. Including Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Japan, International Photography Biennial of the Islamic World in Iran, Fotofreo- festival of photography in Australia and Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan. He is represented through Agency VU in Paris.

Munem Wasif's current location:
Dhaka, Bangladesh (ZIA)

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A Tale of Paradise lost: Climate refugee in Bangladesh

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