Text & Photography ©Nayan Sthankiya

 

The people of this region live in physically vulnerable circumstances. The area is cyclone prone, monsoonal and low-lying, with many settlements located alongside waterways and coastline. The river embankments constructed in the mid 19th century made habitation on the Delta Islands possible. Tidal surges into the estuary pushes salt water over the embankments and into agricultural fields causing serious damage to crops and the lives and livelihoods of villagers.