The slight shelter that 45 Bede (nomadic) men, women, and children had found in front of Fulghazi Upazila’s local government pilot high school in Feni has now been taken away. Five days ago, they had taken refuge near the Bijoypur railway station adjacent to the school.
For the nomadic Bede community, their makeshift slum shelters were already washed away by floods. Yet, under the school’s solid roof and dry shelter, they had set up a temporary home for a few days, feeding their children the meager relief supplies they received.
But even this small comfort was not meant to last – such is their tragic fate.
By noon on Saturday, a middle-aged Bede woman was seen packing up their few belongings in the shelter centre, too angry to speak. Despite their despair, it was learned that they had been given verbal notice to vacate the school by 4pm – a forced eviction due to exams scheduled for Sunday.
The distressed Bede people now ask: Where will we go? What will we eat?
In the rush to clear the shelter, two siblings were seen finishing their midday meal with their father on the school veranda. The father’s face was clouded with gloom, while the teenage boy still had his rice plate in hand and a plastic mask tied to his head. Meanwhile, little Nasima, her hair tied with yellow ribbons, ate quietly, murmuring her name when asked.
The question—”Where will you go?”—lingered in the air but remained unasked, for obvious reasons.
Flood situation worsens
Field reports reveal that at least 85 villages in Fulghazi have been flooded in recent days. Thousands more in Chhagalnaiya and Feni Sadar are also affected, with most roads submerged. Even Feni’s main road is now several feet underwater.
Breaches in at least 20 points along the embankments of the Feni, Muhuri, Kahua, and Selonia rivers have left vast areas inundated. Local officials estimate around 20,000 people are taking shelter in emergency centers.
However, residents claim the actual number of flood victims is much higher. Many shelters face severe shortages of drinking water, medicine, and food.
Continuous heavy rainfall and upstream hill torrents have triggered flooding in the low-lying areas of Fulghazi and Parshuram upazilas in Feni, submerging homes, farmland, and roads. The displaced Bede community, already living on the margins, now face yet another uncertain journey.