Why and how the lives and livelihoods in the Haor region can be improved

Spanning seven districts of the country's northeastern region, the Haor region is unique compared to other areas in Bangladesh. Bangladesh's geography is indeed diverse. The government is situated on a bay and has numerous rivers. It also has hilly regions and plains. There are forests and marshes too. The Haor region encompasses all of these features. One can find hills, rivers, wetlands, forests, and plains in the Haor region. 

The haor becomes as vast and expansive as the oceans during the monsoon. The centre of the Haor region is Sunamganj district.

Besides the geography, the unique culture of the region is significant too. Various important streams of folk songs and dramas have flourished in the Haor areas. Dhamail, Ghetu, Baul, Keertan, Jari, Shari, Bhatiali and Murshidi songs are popular here. 

In addition, many other traditions and cultures, such as lathi khela, bullfighting, boat races, etc., are embedded in the lives of the area's rural, agrarian people.

However, the most important aspect of the Haors is the lives and livelihoods of its inhabitants. The people and the economy here are unique. The region is submerged under water for six months of the year, while the other six months are dry. Waves after waves of water can be seen everywhere during the monsoon, but in the dry months, one can see paddy fields stretching to the horizon.

It must be said, though, that the lives and livelihoods of the Haors are far from as simple as the words may depict. The seven districts that make up the Haor region have 29 upazilas, span an area of 8,000 square kilometres, and are home to as many as 10 million people whose main source of income is the Boro variety of rice. Some of them are dependent on fishing, dairy farming or poultry rearing. In other parts of the country, having arable land and the ability to fish all year would make for a well-off existence.

Unemployment during the monsoon is an age-old problem here. There was a time when the fertility of the region's land, the high ratio of available land compared to the population, and the abundance of fish and livestock sufficed for a well-off and simple lifestyle for the people of Haor. However, as the population increased over time, the available arable land per capita decreased, and on the other hand, rivers and other water bodies gradually filled up, dramatically reducing the number of fish. 

Moreover, the use of excessive chemical fertilisers and insecticides on the farmlands has further reduced the number of fish in the water bodies. Increasing artificial irrigation to harvest Boro over larger expanses of land has also reduced the scope of dairy farming.

It is true that during the Boro season, a fifth of all the paddy harvested in the country comes from the Haor region. However, that is not proving to be enough for a sustained livelihood because the prices of farming ingredients such as seeds, fertilisers, diesel or electricity, insecticides, irrigation pumps, power tillers and other farming equipment are rising. This has made paddy farming expensive. 

In this context, the prices that farmers receive for crops during the farming season are not fair. Prices increase three or four months after harvest, but by then, marginal and middle-class farmers have sold off their paddies because they cannot afford to store the harvest. The beneficiaries of these products are mainly the middlemen. As a result, fishermen and farmers in the region are becoming even more marginalised.

It must be mentioned, however, that mandatory free primary education and education for women up to Class 8, as well as scholarships, have resulted in a rise in the literacy rate in the region and have opened up new avenues for earning livelihoods. However, as the number of available jobs is not increasing in proportion to the number of literate people, the number of educated but unemployed human resources is increasing. 

A small percentage of these people are migrating to urban and industrial regions. Had there been industrialisation or business centres in the Haor region, they would have preferred to stay back home. In such a situation, it is essential to take urgent steps to improve the lives and livelihoods of the Haor region. 

For example, creating a skilled labour force in the region is impossible because there is no vocational training institute. In each upazila sadar of the Haor region, a technical school or polytechnic institute can be built. Each upazila sadar can also have a BSCIC industrial city. A special economic zone is being built in Kishoreganj, which is in the Haor region. This can be replicated in all the other districts of the Haor region.

Industries based on easily available raw materials like paddy, fish, dairy livestock and labour can be established in the Haor region. Bangladesh is leading in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. Considering the surplus labour in the Haor region, RMG factories can be established here. 

Moreover, modern rice mills can be established. Measures to modernise fishing, farming, and poultry rearing can be taken. Building feed mills for these industries can also create new jobs here.

Various scheduled banks and financial organisations, including Bangladesh Bank and others such as PKSF, IDCOL, SME Foundation, BSCIC, etc, can come forward with specialised projects focused on the Haor region. Training and consultation centres can be opened for potential entrepreneurs.

For small and medium entrepreneurs, support can be provided to build businesses through pertinent loans and supervision. Moreover, it is also possible to develop industries focused on tourism, engineering workshops, electrical and electronic machinery repairs and servicing, assembling, farm and fisheries processing, fishing nets, mosquito nets, window nets and curtains, hosiery, solar panels, energy-saving lamps, mechanical boat building and repairing, as well as building fast and convenient boats, road transportation, charcoal blocks, etc, in the region.

Suppose the full potential of business and tourism relations between the Haor region and the northeastern region of India can be realised. In that case, the Haor regions will become the business centres of South and Southeast Asia.

Therefore, improving the lives and livelihoods in the Haor region requires modern thinking and future-focused leaders—leaders who can encourage the Haor residents to dream and who can bring those dreams to life. There is no alternative to strong and people-focused leadership if one is to utilise the possibilities that the natural resources and geographic location of the Haor region present.

The improvement of lives and livelihoods and the model of socioeconomic development of the Haor region can commence at Sunamganj, the heart of the Haor region. There need to be discussions about these issues between the political leadership, civil society, journalists, other professionals, and the general public. We must remember that improving the lives and livelihoods of the people in the Haor region means improving all of ours.

Our country has taken the highway of development under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the Haor region cannot fall behind in this development process. Therefore, the people of Sunamganj and other Haor areas need to become united. Everyone has to think in that direction, setting their differences aside.

Selim Ahmed is the Chairman of  Sunamganj Foundation

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.