Climate Witness stories

Climate Witness: Tulsi Khara, Sundarbans delta

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.

"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 can sense something grave is happening

"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 was very distressing.

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

"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."