Hundreds of families facing uncertain days after Amphan in Lakshmipur

Janora Begum was wiping off her tears, and beside her was her husband Mujibul Haque. 

They were looking at a little patch of empty land – a reminiscent of their house – which escaped eroding waves from the Meghna River during Cyclone Amphan. 

Neither Janora, nor Mujibul could say anything to console each other as they were living in a betel nut orchard under the open sky. They do not know where they will go next.

Not only this elderly couple, but many other people in Char Falkan village in Kamalnagar upazila of Lakshmipur were facing similar uncertainty on Friday morning.

Tidal waves caused by Cyclone Amphan washed away around 20-30 houses in the village on May 20. 

Erosion also increased in 33km area in Kamalmagar and Ramgati upazilas alongside the shoreline of Megna River. Many people have started moving their houses or setting up new ones in those areas.

Mujibul said Meghna Rivar was 15-20 meter away from his hut. At the beginning of the May, Kalboishakhi (Norwester) blew away their house once. Then they set up another hut, which enabled them just to sleep at night. 

On Wednesday evening, when Janora was cooking supper in front of the hut, waves from Meghna struck and washed away their house including the pot of cooked rice.

The elderly acuple barely escaped the strong waves with their lives. First they went to a nearby house. Later on the same night they walked 1km to take shelter in the cyclone centre. There they could not find anything to eat, although they were fasting for the whole day.

In the next morning the couple returned to the place where they lived, but they found almost no trace of their house or their belongings. During the two days after the storm passed, nobody went there to see how they were.

Around 500 meters of land was washed away by the Meghna River in one night of storm. This happened in several kilometers alongside the river.

Currently, high tide is washing away houses in the area every day, and people there do not know how they will pass the whole rainy season. 

Mujibul said he earned his livelihood by catching fish when he was young. Earlier he lost his houses to the Meghna River twice. 

Then Khayer, a resident of Char Falkan village, set up a house in his own land for Mujibul and his wife for humanitarian reasons.

But the Meghna River followed them there too and struck their houses three more times. 

And now Cyclone Amphan has turned Khayer, the person who sheltered them, into a destitute too.

Shamsul Haque, another old man in the village was found in a similar condition. He brought down some coconuts from his own trees on Wednesday morning, but at night on the same day Amphan destroyed his coconut trees and blew away his house. 

Now Shamsul has no certain means to look after ten people including his four daughters and grandchildren in his family. Only his son cathches fish in the river, which is not adeaquate in any way for a large family. 

Shamsul is now setting up a house on the land of a mosque after agreeing to pay the mosque Tk2,000 per year for it.

Hundreds of families in the area are now working to set up new homes like Shamsul.

When contacted, Kamalnagar Upazila Parishad Chairman Mejbah Uddin Ahmed Bappi said, "We asked the local chairmen to provide information on people who suffered due to Cyclone Amphan."

"They have not sent us any information yet. But as we hear it from you (this correspondent) we will take necessary steps regarding the matter," he added.