Khalil Uddin Farid, Bhola 

In the river-surrounded 20 remote chars (islets ) of Char Fassion  in Bhola, around 50,000 people struggle daily with the lack of basic services. While they somehow manage food and clothing, they remain deprived of fundamental needs such as education, healthcare, security, and access to safe drinking water. 

On one hand, they face natural disasters like storms and tidal surges, and on the other, they are victims of land grabbers, pirates, and fraudsters. Despite appeals to the police, local chairmen, and members, char residents continue to be denied their rights. They remain outside the mainstream of the state, untouched by the light of “Digital Bangladesh.”

Char dwellers face daily adversity, be it natural calamities or man-made crises. Storms, tidal surges, river erosion, and high tides are constant threats. Meanwhile, land grabbers and river pirates have added new dimensions to their suffering. Most chars lack embankments and cyclone shelters. The damage caused by tidal surges and storms during the last monsoon has not yet been recovered.

Chars like Dhal Char, Sikdarer Char, Char Motahar, Char Montaz, Char Patila, Char Farooqi, Char Shahjalal, Char Rirulin, Sikdar Char, Tung Char, Char Monohor, Char LiuLin, Char Stephen, Char Bangla, and Char Montaz remain under severe insecurity.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of life in the chars is the children's education. For children in Dhal Char, going to school means crossing rivers, canals, and muddy paths—an everyday struggle. Many drop out and end up in child labor or help their fisher families in fishing.

The West Dhal Char Government Primary School has been swallowed by the river. Currently, classes are held on the second floor of a cyclone shelter. There is a lack of seating, no playground, and no toilets.

Once there were 350 students; now that number has dropped to 170. Md. Amir Hossain, Superintendent of Dhal Char Islamia Dakhil Madrasa, said the student numbers are decreasing daily due to the looming threat of erosion. The adjacent one-story secondary school building is dilapidated, with plaster peeling off. Student numbers are dropping there too. Madrasa student Yasmin said, “The recent cyclone destroyed everything in our madrasa. There's nothing left to resume classes. We don't know when we can go back to class.”

Local businessman Jahangir Hawlader said, “Parents here send their children to school with great difficulty. But due to nature’s fury, especially river erosion, it’s becoming nearly impossible to continue educational activities. During monsoon, it’s extremely tough for children to go to school.

The core reason for underdevelopment is the poor infrastructure. During monsoon, even walking requires wading through knee-deep water. There are no paved roads or bridges in Sikdar Char. Dirt roads are in terrible condition. Locals say poor communication is the root of all problems. Without proper roads, education, healthcare, and the local economy suffer. Nearly 20,000 residents of the union are falling behind day by day.

The greatest crisis in the chars is the lack of clean drinking water. Despite being surrounded by rivers and the sea, there are no reliable sources of safe water. Most areas lack deep tube wells. Existing ones are often broken. Fishermen report relying on dirty or muddy river water while out at sea.

Malek Majhi, a resident of Char Fakira, laments, “We lack drinking water here. The tube wells are mostly broken. We drink whatever water we find when we're thirsty.” Nannu Patwary, former secretary of Dhal Char Union Parishad, said, “About 12,000 people live on this char. Without deep tube wells, safe water is not available. Being close to the Bay of Bengal estuary, Dhal Char gets submerged frequently, intensifying the water crisis.”

Waterborne diseases are common in the char areas. Most people here have never even seen a health center in their lifetime. There are no hospitals or clinics. For ordinary fevers or pain, they still rely on traditional healers and spiritual cures. Stagnant water from tidal surges causes frequent skin diseases, allergies, fevers, diarrhea, and dysentery.

For fishermen, the hilsa fishing season during monsoon is their peak earning time—but also their most dangerous. River pirates attack fishermen, loot their possessions, and then take shelter in the chars. Often, char residents are harassed by law enforcement following such incidents. Land grabbers are another constant threat. During harvest season, they arrive with musclemen and seize lands and crops from local farmers.

Former Union Parishad secretary Nannu Patwary said, “Bridges, culverts, roads, and tube wells are urgently needed for these char residents. If river erosion is not controlled, these chars will eventually disappear.” He also mentioned the potential to develop these chars as attractive tourist destinations.

Chars like Char Monohor, Char LiuLin, and Char Motahar have been suffering from severe erosion for two years. If the erosion continues, these three chars may disappear from the map of Char Fasson within the next three years.

The Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Division-2 stated that effective measures are being taken to control erosion. A proposal has already been submitted for embankment construction along the Tetulia River. Once approved, the work will begin.

SM Mahmudur Rahman, Executive Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department of Bhola, said that under the 2024–25 fiscal year project, 12 deep tube wells will be installed in each union. This will significantly ease the drinking water crisis in the char areas.