NewAge Xtra, April 24-30, 2009
Musfequr Rahman reveals the sufferings of residents of Dacope and Paikgacha upazila in Khulna, who are waging an ongoing war against Baghda cultivation, a serious ecological threat.
On December 25, 2008, around three thousand people of Ward 9 of Dacope upazila, Khulna chased the gang of Baghda shrimp enclosure (gher) owners when they tried to open the sluice gate to channel saltwater into the area at around 8:00pm.
According to witnesses, the group, lead by a certain Haq, included some infamous terrorists of the area like Musa, Perani Sheikh, Rekat Sheikh, Shafiq Aziz and others, travelling on around ten motorcycles.
Anil Krishna Sarkar (55), a homeopathy doctor and Sujit Ray of Kumarkhali village retells the story. On hearing their arrival, the men, the women, the old and even the children from Kamarkhola, Jainagar, Rajnagar, Fakirdanga, Vhitevanga, Parjainagar, Sairabad, Srinagar and Kalinagar wards of Dacope upazila united under the slogan ‘Lobon Pani Thekao, Haq Bahini Thekao’ (resist saltwater and Haq group), before chasing them away.
The villagers say that the act was an explosion of bottled-up frustration and anger that they had felt over the past 25 years as, according to them, most of Dacope, Paikgacha and other areas of Khulna have lost their soil fertility due to the unplanned cultivation of Baghda, the tiger shrimp species, that requires a high level of saltwater. ‘The Baghda cultivators, using their influence, have dominated these areas during this time of the year, every year. They have also forcefully occupied the arable lands of small owners, making farming and agriculture almost impossible for the less fortunate farmers of these areas,’ says Anil. He also informs, flanked by others, that the fisheries, livestock, water resources, poultry and the entire ecological system of these areas are currently threatened due to the unscrupulous activities of the Baghda cultivators of the area.
Shashanko Ray Sardar, a resident of the Kamarkhola Union of Dacope upazila while talking to Xtra says, ‘The arable lands have been heavily affected over the past few decades as Baghda cultivation requires extensive use of chemical fertiliser, pesticides and insecticides.’ He points out that the detail is crystal clear as, although yield was around 20 to 30 mounds of paddy per acre of land even during the early eighties, the yield has currently been reduced to around six to ten mounds per acre.
‘It’s all due to the increase of salinity in the soil,’ he adds.
Sabita Ray, a resident of the area points out that because to such circumstances the soil has become barren. ‘Even a decade back, we could easily support our livelihood through the vegetables we grew on our own lands here. However, now we can hardly grow anything in these soils. We basically have to rely on the imported vegetables which come from Khulna city,’ she informs.
She further adds that due to the absence of trees, the villagers also buy wood, for cooking, from other areas. ‘You will no longer find a single jackfruit, mango, lychee, coconut, date or similar trees in these areas. Only a few hapless trees like shech and gaoa, which can survive under extreme conditions, are now available,’ says Shanti Lata Bishwas of Aloke Dweep.
Abul Khaleq, another farmer, informs that the commercial cultivation of Baghda in saltwater totally destroyed the habitat for earthworms, which are the ‘natural farmers’. ‘This has gravely affected the agriculture in these areas as not a single earthworm was found in the past 20 years during cultivation,’ he says.
Even during the eighties, Khaleq had around 20 acres of farm land where he owned and grazed around 32 cows, a dozen goats, hens, ducks and pigeons. ‘As soon as shrimp cultivation began, the natural vegetation gradually died away. I lost most of the cattle to the lack of green grass and to contagious livestock diseases like diarrhoea caused by the presence of salt water. As soon as five of them died in a year, I sold some at a minimum price and the remainder were sent to my relatives residing in other parts of Khulna,’ he shares with Xtra.
Prior to Baghda cultivation, more than fifty species of sweet water fish were available in abundance in the ponds of these areas. However, as the shrimp cultivation drastically engulfed most areas, salt water from the enclosures permeated into the natural ponds – habitat for fishes like Rui, Katla, Mrigal, Puti, Boyal, Catfish, Singmach, Swal, Koimach, sweet water Bhetki, sweet water Paisha and others.
‘These are mostly extinct now. Only Baghda shrimp, salt water Paisha and salt water Vhetki are available here at present,’ says Bishnu Pada Mondal, branch post master, Aloke Dweep village, Deluty union, Paikgacha upazila, Khulna.
Most locals have to walk miles to find tube wells as most of the pond water currently available, is impure. ‘We usually fetch our water from Ranushaber tube-well, the only remaining source of drinking water in the area, three to five kilometres away, from our homes. The pond, which was our only source of drinking water, is no longer pure as salt water has permeated into it. Drinking this water causes diarrhoea,’ says Chobi Kanti Ray, a housewife.
Sukrit Mohan Sarkar, another resident says, ‘enclosures, spread over miles, are causing problems for natives of this area as the evaporated salt water causes major air pollution. Most of us are getting skin diseases due to the polluted air.’ Some villagers point out that shrimp cultivation has also increased unemployment in the area.
Principal Achintya Kumar Mondal, president of Dacope upazila Nagorik Parishad points out that besides earthworms, other wild life has also become extinct. ‘Without the trees and vegetation, how can animal like snakes, birds, lizards, mice and others survive!’ he exclaims. He adds that some of the rare species are also extinct now.
Around 6,600 enclosures occupied 90 per cent of Dacope upazila’s arable land. After the death of Korunamoie Sardar on November 7, 1990, a mass movement against Baghdha cultivation drove the number down to around 200 and 300 currently. However, the locals are still struggling with false cases, death threats and other verbal and physical assaults and abuses from the goons working for these shrimp cultivators.
The atrocities continue under the very noses of the law and administration of the area. Last year the government had announced that no one could initiate Baghda cultivation, even when he had sufficient land, without the consent of 86 per cent of land owners of that particular region. Turning a deaf ear to the directive, cultivation has continued over the past few years.
Even the fisheries department, with the support of locals, drafted the ‘Shrimp rule 2008’, bringing restrictions upon Baghda cultivation. Ignoring all these rules, some corrupt and desperate shrimp businessmen are still trying to open sluice gates so as to channel saline water into dry enclosures in order to initiate shrimp cultivation again.
Locals point out that the desperation is also geared by the responsibility of paying back loans that the businessmen had received from the banks. ‘Although, the sector is no longer a profitable sector, they are trying to initiate it at a large scale again just so that the liabilities are less for them,’ says a resident of the area.
While the farmers are facing problems with the yield, most of the families who have been living in these areas for generations have been victims of shrimp cultivation and the businessmen involved in it. Some have even paid with their lives!
‘Subash Mondol of Dacope was brutally murdered in front of his wife and children on November 5, 1986 by a group of goons hired by shrimp businessmen and led by Haq,’ says a resident of Dacope, under condition of anonymity. He adds that these goons are also responsible for the murder of journalist Manik Saha who tried his best to bring the news of Korunamoie Sarder’s murder to public. ‘Around ten murders occurred in this area, which were all connected to the shrimp business. Somehow, the police can never find the bodies and no investigation materialises,’ says another farmer.
Another victim of shrimp businessmen is Momota Sarkar, wife of fifty-year-old Anjan Sarkar of Radhanagar village of Paikgacha Upazila. She shares the peril her family is currently facing, caused by the conspiracies spun by one Montu Mia, a shrimp businessman and cultivator of Paikgacha upazila.
Only two years ago, Montu coerced his second wife, Monowara Begum, into filing a rape case against Momota’s husband, Anjan and father-in-law, 85-year-old Aumullah Sarkar. ‘The rape case was a backlash to Momota’s family’s resistance to Montu’s proposal of leasing our land for shrimp cultivation. This is his trademark move,’ she says.
She reminisces that when she had stepped into her father-in-law’s house for the first time, it used to enjoy a steady supply of rice, cows, goats etc. ‘He had arable lands of around 42 bigha. However, the entire land has been encroached by shrimp cultivators. While we are ourselves passing days in starvation and threats from Montu’s men, the livestock is gradually withering away due to the polluted land and lack of fodder. Some were also lifted off by the Montu’s cadre group,’ she informs.
Monowara also filed a rape case against Birandranath Mistri (80) and his son Bidhan Chandra Mistri (48). Their fault was that they went to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) to complain against Montu and his activities,’ says Jugal Bairagi, a resident of Aloke Dweep village. Birendranath was being pressured to lease his arable land to Montu for two years since 1996. However, Montu later faked the duration of the contract by overwriting on it. ‘When Birendra was about to end the contract, Montu threatened him and pushed his family out only paying the rent of the land, although the contract was already over,’ he says.
Alhaj Misir Ali was also an affluent farmer of the Deluty union, who is currently being victimised by the cadre group of Wazed Ali, one of the biggest owner of shrimp enclosures at Khulna, and a man of prominence in the area through political and administrative backup.
While talking to Xtra, Misir Ali could not hold back his tears while describing the horrors his family and he had to face at the hands of Wazed’s goons over the past 20 years. Misir Ali, along with some other residents of Deluty union, tried to protest against Wazed’s occupation of arable lands for shrimp cultivation during the early eighties.
Soon he was targeted by Wazed Ali, who filed a number of false cases against Misir and six others. ‘The allegations included gutting and looting of shrimp enclosure and the list of suspects included Dhrubo Mistri, a teacher of Deluty primary school, Salananda Biswas, assistant head teacher of Wazed Ali High School, Kamal Ashish Ray, Protish Ray, Gautom Mondal, Bimol Kobiraj and me. From that moment onwards, my life has been turned into that of a fugitive as both the police and Wazed’s cadre bahini are out to find my family members and me,’ says Misir, before breaking down again.
Wazed Ali, Montu, Sawkat, Mazed, Selim and others are the biggest shrimp cultivators of this area and as alleged by residents and villagers, have forcefully occupied lands of Tetultola, Gongerkona, Lata (east), Lata (west), Hari and Monkia village of Deluty union. Some of their biggest shrimp enclosures are spread over areas between 1,200 bigha and 2,400 bigha, engulfing arable lands of more than two to three villages.
Upon contact, Sardar Rafiqul Haq, president of Khulna Shrimp Farmers’ Association, informs that the allegations of overwriting the contract and others, are not true. ‘Those who bring this allegation have no true document. We are continuing shrimp cultivation here through the permission of ‘Shrimp Wealth Development and Management Committee’. The committee consists of members from the fisheries, forest, environment, land, livestock, agriculture and other departments. So, the alleged aftermath of Baghda cultivation is not true. Some NGOs are trying hard to make this look like a serious issue,’ he says.
Shahabuddin Gazi, a shrimp enclosure owner of Kumarkhali village alleges that it is a conspiracy of the local people to oust the shrimp businessmen as most of them are outsiders. ‘In this region, shrimp and agriculture cultivation can continue side by side. In the last decade, due to virus attack at the shrimp enclosures, the yield was reduced drastically. The rent, therefore, came down to half. At present, the income from shrimp is almost the same as paddy or any other cultivation. Therefore, the locals, who used to willingly rent their arable land to shrimp businessmen are now changing sides and becoming protesters,’ says Aninur Gazi, a shrimp cultivator of Kalinagar, Dacope.
Lutfur Rahman, president of shrimp depot association, Dacope informs that almost 120 depots have been closed down after the embargo on shrimp cultivation caused a massive financial loss for businessmen and also increased unemployment in the region.
Shamsul Haque, office-in-charge of Dacope upazila police station mentions, ‘when we received the news of saltwater entering through sluice gate, we immediately sent our force to stop it. However, the allegation of farmers’ harassment by the shrimp businessmen is not entirely true. ‘
However, the local authorities have a different take on the situation.
Mohsin Ali, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Dacope says, ‘we have not found anyone who managed to submit a paper, containing 86 per cent peoples’ approval to cultivate Baghda.’
Meanwhile, while discussing the severe water crisis, he says ‘we believe that freshly dug ponds and setting up reservoirs to preserve rain water can solve the ongoing crisis of drinking water.’
Nani Gopal Mondal, parliamentarian from the constituency Khulna-1, says, ‘the negative impact of Baghda cultivation is massive in this region. Most households lack livestocks and staple food while the ponds are nil of local species of fishes. At present, the farmers are trying hard to avoid shrimp cultivation and to resort to farming again. But the shrimp businessmen are trying to protect their enclosures,’ he says.
He points out that after the embargo on shrimp cultivation; paddy cultivation was initiated experimentally on some enclosures. ‘But the soil bed of enclosures is so toxic that paddy cannot survive and the yield remains minimal. Some farmers urge that if the entrance of saltwater can be stopped, two or three years later, the soil may regain its fertility. Torrent rain water and silt from rivers can possibly reduce the toxicity and also improve the fertility of the soil. At this transitional, vulnerable and experimental stage they are seeking subsidies from the government. I encourage the local farmers to maintain unity at deterring saltwater and also seek the police’s help, in this regard,’ he concludes.
Dr Ain-un Nishat, country representative of IUCN explains that where shrimp cultivation has taken place for two to three years, salt has been deposited on the upper layer of those enclosure beds. But where shrimp cultivation has continued for 20 to 25 years, the salt, year after year, has been deposited on to the deep layers of soil.
‘The soil should be washed with a flush of rain water since river water and ground water of most of the areas has also been affected with salinity. Repeated flush with rain water is the way to recover these lands,’ says Nishat.
‘The crops those can survive to some extend in salinated soil should be cultivated more,’ he adds.
Jashim Uddin, assistant professor, department of soil, water and environment, University of Dhaka says that because of shrimp cultivation the pH of the soil of those areas has decreased. He explains that these lands are no longer suited to shrimp cultivation as well.
‘Shrimp cultivation can take when the ph of soil remains static at 5.5. A little above or bellow that will not yield good quality shrimp. As the toxic level became high because of years of cultivation, at one point, even shrimp will not survive in that environment,’ he says.
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