A human chain was formed in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira on Sunday to protest the use of agricultural land for salt, crab, and shrimp cultivation. The demonstration took place at around 11:00 am beside Nawabeki Bazar and was organised by Coast Foundation and Udayan Bangladesh. More than a hundred women participated in the programme.
The human chain was chaired by Udayan Bangladesh Executive Director Sheikh Asad. Among the speakers were local resident Jharna Begum, Press Club President Samiul Monir, local representative Shawkat Hossain, development worker Shibu Prasad Baidya, and Nazma Abu, among others.
Speakers at the programme said that the practice of introducing saline water into agricultural land for shrimp and crab farming is destroying cropland and causing soil to lose its fertility. They warned that these activities are severely affecting the livelihoods of local people, leading to a decline in food production and placing agriculture-dependent communities at long-term risk. They stressed that the cultivation of salt, crab, and shrimp on agricultural land must be stopped to protect livelihoods and ensure food security. The speakers also called for the enactment of effective laws, if necessary, and demanded alternative income opportunities and rehabilitation for those affected.
Women participants said that increasing salinity in coastal areas is disproportionately harming women. They noted that agriculture-dependent families are being forced to leave their localities, while children are increasingly suffering from malnutrition as a consequence of declining food security and livelihoods.
