Shah Arafat Rahib :: Due to the adverse effects of climate change, various health risks for people living in coastal areas are increasing. Every year, hurricanes or floods are a regular occurrence in coastal areas. On the other hand, as a result of the rise in sea level, the low-lying areas are submerged and the salinity of the water continues to rise. it has a negative impact on the life, livelihood, agriculture, and health of the people of this region. And the first victims of any disaster are the women and teenagers of the coast.
The impact of climate change has increased in Bangladesh and various natural disasters. Coastal areas are especially affected by these natural disasters. including cyclones, floods, floods and river breaks. Previously, after 15 or 20 years, a major natural disaster could be seen. But now it’s happening almost every year.
According to the data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey of 2015, the gradual increase in the rate of whirlwind organizations in Bangladesh in the past 25 years is noticeable. In the last 16 years (1991-2006), only 6 cyclones struck, but in the last decade (2007-2020), 14 cyclones including Cedar, Aila, Mahasen, Komen, Rowan, Bulbul, Ampan and Chitrang have struck. The impact of these cyclones in Bangladesh is a reflection of the reality of climate change.
Meanwhile, under the influence of climate change, the people of the coastal district of Satkhira have to face various natural disasters every year, including cyclones, floods, salinity, heavy rains, floods, floods, rising tides in the river. And in these disasters, children and women are suffering from various diseases. Climate activists believe that climate change is affecting the health of women and children. Especially the women of the coast are more victims of natural disasters and their subsequent effects.
According to information received from various areas of Satkhira affected by natural disasters, the worst form of climate change is appearing in coastal Shyamnagar. For this reason, women have to use salt water during menstruation, and the clothes they use must be washed in salt water. Because of this, coastal women are taking birth control pills to stop their periods. as a result, they are suffering from various skin and uterine diseases. And while undergoing treatment for that disease, she lost her ability to conceive a child prematurely. This is not the end of their miserable lives, after which the terrible pain of various side effects begins, which these women have to live alone for the rest of their lives.
According to the doctor of the local hospital, women who take the pill day after day may suffer from terrible diseases of the uterus, including regular menstruation and infertility.
Housewife Khadija Begum of Koikhali village of Shyamnagar upazila. This woman’s problem was irregular periods and lower abdominal pain. When I went to the local MRA clinic for treatment, I went to Dr. Aniçur Rahman, the lecturer of the biochemistry department of Satkhira Medical College, and he advised Khadija to throw away an organ. On August 28 of last year, the government doctor Anisur Rahman removed the important organ from the body of 32-year-old Khadija Begum in the private clinic.
Shefali Mandal, wife of Subrat Mandal of Burigoalini village of Burigoalini union of upazila. Shefali works as a day laborer. She has been suffering from uterine problems for a long time. He said, women in our village have the most common pregnancy problems. We bathe in salt water, but the water is not safe. That’s why this disease is increasing. He said that he himself was infected with the disease and said that he had received treatment in many places, including India and Khulna. I can’t get into the water and take a bath, the doctor has forbidden it, I can’t take a bath in the pool until I live. women in this region are still suffering from this disease.
The organ that was cut off from the body of these two women is not an ordinary organ, but the womb where a human being is born, which is called the uterus.
In coastal areas such as Shyamnagar in Satkhira, women are the most affected by salt water. They have to live with salt water all year round and suffer from various diseases, especially uterine diseases. But if this organ, which is the most important for the reproduction of the human race, is diseased, a doctor of this class decides to cut it off without taking any medical measures. Women who are better off after having a hysterectomy are not. It is said that their life has become miserable due to various side effects.
Rahima Begum, the mother of two children, said, “Before, she only had a stomach ache for a few days of the month.” After the operation, it burns for a while now. It irritates the cut area. I think I’ll jump into the water, then I’ll get some rest. 30-year-old Asma Begum said that she has been suffering from severe head and body burns since the hysterectomy. He doesn’t even like it with his husband. There is turmoil in the world for a while. samsara tekano has become a liability.
Many people, like Asma Begum, said that after the hysterectomy, doctors advised her to take Tibonor tablets for life to reduce inflammation. However, most of the patients said that one sheet (10 tablets) of Tibonor costs about 200 taka. How is it possible to buy and eat this medicine for the rest of your life where scarcity is a constant companion of everyone?
Non-governmental organization Sushilon is working on various issues of Satkhira’s coastal area. Shamim Hasan, the project engineer of the organization, said that due to the lack of clean drinking water and the use of unclean and excessively brackish water for daily activities including bathing, they suffer not only from uterine and skin diseases, but children, adolescents and women also suffer from leukorrhea, anemia, dysentery and other water-borne diseases. About 500 children in Kholpetua village are suffering from malnutrition due to the use of salty water. many of whom do not grow tall from childhood. the head and stomach become fat. as a result, they grow up with various physical problems from the beginning.
SM Shaheen Alam, coordinator of the Satkhira unit of the environmental organization Youthnet for Climate Justice, said that the salinity of the coast is increasing day by day due to the influence of climate change. As we have seen in the last few years, women’s problems have become more serious than in the past. There are cases of women losing their uteruses all the time. They are suffering from a disease called pregnancy. Uterine disease on the rise in salt water day by day The number of pregnancies among women exposed to increased salinity on the coast has decreased.
He also said that the number of pregnancies among women in the coastal area has decreased. At the same time, the number of abortions increased. Many people are losing their hair. as a result, there are concerns about future generations in these regions.
Shyamnagar upazila health complex medical officer Dr. Fatima Idris Eva said, I have heard that girls are taking pills to stop their menstruation. Because of this, various diseases, including menstrual problems, are increasing. If you take these drugs without a doctor’s advice, the normal process of the hormone will be seriously damaged.
Rita Rani Pal, assistant surgeon of the health complex, said that if a hysterectomy is performed at a young age, women will have problems such as hot flushes (hands, feet and body burning) and temper tantrums. He said that a year ago, 2,600 women were examined for their cervix. Among them, 58 people had a premonition of cervical cancer, and two people were diagnosed with cervical cancer. However, it is not proven that the use of salty and contaminated water is one of the causes of water-borne diseases. Realistic research is needed in this regard.
