29.4.17

Sunamganj 2017 Floods Arrive Early and possibly Radioactively: Resource Page

Donate sacks of rice et al via Mushtaq Ahmad's JustGiving page.

The community of farmers around Shanir Haor in Sunamganj desperately toiled for weeks moving earth with their own hands to fix a dam by themselves, often in the pouring rain, to protect their crops from early inundation and ruination. What timely assistance they had from the Water Board or  Engineering Colleges speaks volumed about the configuration of science, technology, society and economy in our part of the world.

Given all the environmental changes and human forces at play, we really need to observe, think, communicate and invest better. Sunamganj District, where about 2.5 milllion people live, is getting better connected to itself and the rest of the country these days. It isn't exactly an agricultural breadbasket, but plays an important role in the stone industry, which feeds into construction and is full of beautiful wetlands, songs and spirituality.

The farmers of Shanir Haor were unsucessful in stopping the water and as the water came in those with the physical power salvaged what they could of their  unripened paddy. Its sad because in this part of desh, you only really get one crop. National electronic media picked this up in the videos below.




Rotting crops release toxins which kill fish upon whom many also economically rely. However, this spring, the extent of fish deaths and animal deaths up the food chain have raised concerns that uranium mining upstream in India is poisoning the Bangladesh end of the Surma Valley. The Uranium mine is 3 miles into India in a place called Ranikhor, Meghalaya.

This is a holding page which will be updated as I am. Feel free to a your own updates in the comments.