Rethinking char development in Bangladesh

Recently, I read with great interest the editorial in The Daily Star on the plight of char dwellers, who have been long neglected and denied the basic necessities in life. The editorial highlighted the “dire living” conditions in chars and the struggle to earn a living in the face of year-round flood, drought, and erosion disasters in the floodplain. Finally, it recommended a “bottom-up” approach to address the struggles towards improving the conditions of char dwellers in the country.

As I recall, in 2015, the First National Char Convention, attended by government officials, politicians, academics, local and international NGOs, and some vocal representatives from char areas, clearly recognised the need for assistance to alleviate poverty in chars with a longer-term sustainable development strategy for inclusive development and a better governance structure. But then, between 2015 and 2025, nothing tangible happened in terms of policy, legal reforms with regard to charland tenure/ownership and administration, and other institutional and governance issues.

Why this inaction when it comes to chars and char dwellers? In fact, there has not been any attention to char development in post-independence Bangladesh except for some amendments in the legislation related to charlands. For instance, the Agricultural Khas Land Settlement Policy, 1997 calls for redistribution of new khas land in char areas to the landless on long-term lease agreements. However, that, too, has been abused by the locally powerful and politically connected leaders, making the entire process of khas land distribution futile.

There is compelling evidence that the old systems and the alluvial and diluvian land laws derived from the colonial period have not worked for the benefit of the char people in Bangladesh. In effect, char dwellers have very little control over the chars. The current legislation as practised today favour the powerful landowners from the mainland and breed malpractices in leasing and redistribution of khas land. The sociopolitical dynamics are against the poor and the marginalised, who are victims of quiet violence in the char areas in the country.

In the past, I have written extensively on the Jamuna chars and char life dynamics. Char land constitutes nearly eight percent of the total land area in the country, with an estimated two crore people living on the chars of major river systems and in the coastal regions. These chars are pockets of poverty, particularly those in the northern districts; people living there are by and large poor, isolated, and highly vulnerable, both physically and socially, without land rights and sustained sources of living. Don’t these people deserve any attention from the policymakers and planners? What kind of reforms and changes can we suggest for any “bottom-up” planning, development, and administration of the char areas?

We must keep the focus on the plight of char people alive and draw attention of the current interim government to address the problem with new approaches, policies, and institutions. There are strong reasons for rethinking char development issues that can benefit the char dwellers. Based on my three decades of work on flood/erosion disasters, displacement, migration, and resettlement of char people, I propose a set of measures to draw attention of the relevant government departments and agencies. These measures will require paradigmatic shifts from current policies and practices in order to realise the potentials of development in the char lands of the country.

First, no national figures are currently available on the extent of displacement caused by erosion. Millions have already been displaced over the past decades, a large number of them taking refuge in the chars. Furthermore, there is no reliable data on the number of char people in the country. Estimates vary from one to two crore people.

Second, a new and more appropriate land law should be formulated to replace the existing laws on char lands, ensuring the rights of the displaced and the char dwellers. Also, local economic diversification would be essential for the welfare of char communities. This was also strongly voiced by the char people at the First National Char Convention in 2015.

Third, lessons from char development experiences in the past (e.g. Char Livelihoods Programme, Char Development and Settlement Programme, Sandbar Technology for Agriculture in Gaibandha, etc), focusing on health, housing, income, education, women’s empowerment, and social protection, may help design future char development programmes in a more holistic manner.

Fourth, a Char Development Policy (CDP) and a dedicated agency such as Char Development Authority (CDA) are the only means towards the goal of better char administration.

Fifth, bottom-up governance with devolution of power and participation of the char people is required to replace the current dysfunctional char land administration.

Sixth, any fundamental changes in the chars would require leadership at the community and local/national levels and a sense of purpose (i.e. equity, justice, and ethics) among the policymakers and programme administrators. Therefore, advocacy by NGOs and civil society organisations should be taken into account in future char development programmes.

Clearly, the chars represent a unique environment demanding unique solutions. Ensuring land rights for char people and introducing a decentralised and democratic system of governance for them are vital for achieving char development. All these call towards rethinking char development in Bangladesh.

Dr Mohammad Zaman is an international development and resettlement specialist. He has lived and worked in Kazipur-Serajganj chars on the Jamuna River for research and consulting work. His most recent edited book (co-editor Mustafa Alam) is titled ‘Living on the Edge: Char Dwellers in Bangladesh (Springer 2021).’

Views expressed in this article are the author’s own.