global warming in the Sundarbans delta and Nepal

[Guest guest]

Witnesses to Climate Change from WWF Fund

Shitanath Sarkar and his large family lead a precarious existence in the

Sundarbans delta, the world's largest, where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra

Rivers meet and flow into the Bay of Bengal. As storms and flooding get worse,

he wonders what has caused " nature's fury. " This is his firsthand account on the

effects of climate change.

 

 

Shitanath Sarkar - Sundarbans Delta, India

photo: WWF

The Sundarbans are my home. I've lived here since I was a child. Now I'm 65 and

things have gone from bad to worse.

 

Inch by inch, my single hectare of land gradually disappeared in front of my

eyes. I fear one day our whole village will perish under the waters.

 

When cyclones come ashore we are flooded out for days on end, suspended between

life and death. Embankments provide no security - they just buy an extra few

hours.

 

We are caught in nature's fury and can easily drown. We are bearing the brunt of

nature.

 

Seawater floods villages and the salt destroys crops. Our cows, goats and food

stocks get washed away during storms.

 

" We are caught in nature's fury. "

- Shitanath Sarkar

If we lose our land, we die. We have no alternative sources of income left.

Traditional livelihoods, like honey gathering, logging and hunting have become

impossible. We almost starve.

 

There is water everywhere but none to drink.

 

There used to be 18 huts in front my house, now everything has been washed away.

Water is pushing us deeper inland. Many families have fled in search of safer

areas.

 

I'm too old now. I can't leave the village. Where would I go? I have ten mouths

to feed.

 

 

Witnesses to Climate Change

Tulsi Khara has lived all her 70 years in the world's largest delta, where the

Ganges and the Brahmaputra Rivers meet and flow into the Bay of Bengal. But now

steadily rising water levels have engulfed most of the two hectares of land she

used to own. This is her firsthand account of the effects of climate change.

 

 

Tulsi Khara - Sundarbans Delta, India

photo: WWF

Of course I'm angry with the river. It has taken everything! But how can I fight

it? How can I beat the Ganges?

 

Life is harsh. Storms have become more intense than ever. We live on the edge.

 

I couldn't believe my eyes - the land that I had tilled for years, that fed me

and my family for generations, has vanished. It is very distressing.

 

We have lost our livelihood. All our belongings and cattle were swept away by

cyclones.

 

" I can sense something grave is happening. "

- Shitanath Sarkar

We have moved to Sagar Island and are trying to rebuild our lives from scratch.

Overnight we became paupers. The islands were never this hostile. It wasn't like

this when I was young.

 

We are not educated people, but I can sense something grave is happening around

us. Why is nature turning so violent?

 

Things have changed on these islands. We are losing vegetation, and the weather

and currents have become unpredictable.

 

Maybe one of the goddesses, Banoobi or Maa Kali, is angry with us! I really

don't know.

 

Displacement and death are everywhere here. The land is shrinking and salty

water gets into our fields, making them useless. We feel very insecure now.

 

Witnesses to Climate Change

 

The Abbot of Tengboche monastery, Ngawang Tenzing Jangpo, is the most revered

monk in Khumbu, Nepal. He has lived there for more than 30 years and witnessed

floods from lakes bursting with glacial meltwater. This is his firsthand account

of the effects of climate change.

 

 

The Abbot of Tengboche monastery, Ngawang Tenzing Jangpo

photo: WWF

The temperature of the earth is rising. It is not natural.

 

People are becoming materialistic and don't care.

 

Climbing Everest has become a fashion. All people want to do is reach the top.

And you can see for yourself that climbing Everest has become so easy today. I

hear they can do it in eight hours!

 

This is because there is less snow. The glaciers are shrinking rapidly.

 

The Sherpas of Khumbu may not know everything, but they are suffering the

consequences of the people's greed. We mountain people should be careful and

take precautions.

 

" The glaciers are shrinking rapidly. "

- Abbot Ngawang Tenzing Jangpo

It is high time that Nepalese started to depend less on foreigners. Why do we

need foreigners to come here and tell us that our glaciers are melting?

 

The solution for the people in the Himalayas is not to move down to the cities.

They will have more problems there. Kathmandu already has a water shortage

problem. If we don't save Khumbu today our fresh water will dry up and the

problem will be impossible to solve in the future.

 

We cannot remain indifferent to each other's problems.