Food Shortage, Bamboo Flowers and Rats on the rampage in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

This photograph of a young Chakma mother with her child was taken in Kassalong Reserve Forest in 1998 during the last food shortage in the area. The child died soon after the photograph was taken.

All across South Asia bamboo of the Melocanna bambusoides species is flowering. It is an interesting phenomenon where all plants of the same species flower simultaneously. There is an evolutionary advantage to releasing all seeds at the same time, thus increasing the species chances of survival. Although, the old bamboo will then die down. The bamboo flowers once every 35-50 years.

The flowers are a delicate morsel for rats, whose numbers have swelled, and have sought other sources of food, such as crops and stored food items.

Unfortunately, this has also led to acute food shortages among certain vulnerable communities. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh for example there are reports of acute food shortage.

Although there has been some food distribution in the region, it has not reached most of the affected communities.

Here is a link to articles in the news and on the web:

BBC: Rat infestation hits Bangladesh

The Daily Star: Hill People fear food crisis as bamboo clusters flowering

Asia Times: Asia faces growing rice crisis

Earthweek: A blossoming of Rats Plagues in Bangladesh

Sajek is one of the areas of the CHT that has been affected. I was there in 1998 during the last food shortage. Some might wonder why this areas seems to suffer more than most. Sajek comprises the Kassalong Reserver Forest, where many Chakma IDPs live, eeking a living from forest resources, with little or no access to agricultural land or sustainable livelihoods.


I am also attaching an appeal from Rupayan Dewan, Councillor of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, to the international community to respond to this imminent crisis.

You might have heard about massive rodent attacks this year in the CHT after bamboo flowering, which occurs after every fifty years. This is my second experience of bamboo flowering and witnessing the famine situation in the CHT. This year it has not only seriously affected the jum fields (paddy) throughout the CHT but also jum pepper plants which has taken up the price of jum chillies to Tk 500/Kg while it was Tk 200 last year. And this price hike is not due to instable market situation in the country but direct affect of rodent attacks. Ginger, turmeric and even rice sapling fields (for plough cultivation) have also been seriously affected by rodents. The Jum cultivars are also seriously concerned for seeds for their next jum cultivation, as they could not keep these due to rodent attacks.

The agriculture department officials in the CHT have no idea on the rodent attacks due to bamboo flowering, as they have not got any lesson in their academic or service careers. Many town living Jumma leaders are also not aware of immensity of the crisis. Day before yesterday Dr. Gabriela Papescu, a MSF doctor from Dhaka office visited my home to take stock of the food
crisis situation due to rodent invasion. So far, the Ministry of CHT Affairs (MoCHTA) has released about 1,500,000 taka for three Hill Districts. The UNDP-CHTDF has recently taken up an express one-time programme to distribute food basket (20 kg rice, 1 kg salt, 1 kg sidol and two pcs. of rat traps) to severely affected 7,000 families of seven bordering upazilas of Rangamati and Bandarban Hill Districts.

According to UNDP-CHTDF the total affected families could be 25,000. The MoCHTA (Special Assistant’s office) confirms me today that it has released 700 and 500 metric tons of rice for Rangamati and Bandarban Districts respectively against Test Relief, for only rodent affected families.

An undeclared famine is on in the CHT. One Pattarmuni Chakma, a resident of Dhebachari under Baraharina Union of Barkal Upazila tells me yesterday at my home that sixty percent families of his area are now without food. He claims, it will turn into a serious situation in coming months. He tells that wild potatoes and yams have already been exhausted due to dependency on these as rice alternative. Munindra Tripura, a social worker from Lama of Bandarban Hill District makes me phone calls and cry for food for rodent affected people of his area. He will visit me next week for my support.

In Mizoram, the neighbouring Indian state had to form a front- Mizo Famine Front to negotiate massive famine caused due to massive rat invasion due to bamboo flowering which was afterwards turned into MNF (Mizo National Front) for their armed movement led by Lal Denga. Since last year Mizoram has been under massive attack of rat invasion and five-year plan has been taken up by Mizoram State Government to support long-term affects of the victims, it has been gathered.

The World Food Programme in Dhaka has been desperately seeking donors for food grant for saving the lives of these hapless people but it has not been getting response, may be the Bangladesh Government has yet to see the matter seriously, could be one of the reasons for which the donor representatives are not willing to take the risk. However, the WFP has succeeded to get
commitment from the USAID for operational costs, once it gets food from other quarters. I have collected two soft documents of WFP for raising funds for supporting the rodent affected people, which needs US$ 4,218,279 to support 128,400 beneficiaries for six months. I request you to approach to your respective Governments with these documents so that there can be seen an immediate positive actions. Besides, international agencies, NGOs and private initiatives can be approached for humanitarian supports. I can help matchmaking in non-governmental operations.

With kind regards,

Rupayan Dewan
Councillor
Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council
Bangladesh