Boat-dwelling community left out of government rice aid
Members of the Manta community, who live on boats along rivers in the southern regions of the country, are struggling to survive after being excluded from the government's rice allocation during the ongoing 22-day fishing ban.
Without access to fishing or state assistance, many are now facing acute poverty and food insecurity.
Officials at the Department of Fisheries said they had no previous record of the number of Manta families and have now instructed all upazilas to begin collecting their data.
More than 100 Manta men and women from three areas of Barishal's Muladi upazila protested in front of the local fisheries office on October 7, demanding aid during the fishing ban.
Around 150 Manta families live on boats in the Jorkhal area of Jhalakathi's Rajapur upazila. On October 11, several families left the area in protest but later returned after assurances from local officials.
Along the banks of the Kalabodor river in Bukainagar area of Barishal Sadar upazila, about 200 Manta families live permanently on 44 boats, catching fish with rods and nets.
"We are born on the river, and we also die on the river. Fishing is our only livelihood. Without government help, how can we survive when fishing is prohibited?" said Ayub Ali Sardar, head of the Manta fleet in Bukainagar.
"Amid the ongoing ban, we can't go fishing -- but no one cares how we'll survive. Some of us are forced to go out at night to fish secretly just to survive, which sometimes leads to clashes with fisheries officials," he said.
Akhtaruzzaman Talukder, deputy director of the Department of Social Services in Barishal, said 178 Manta people have been identified in Laharhat of Barishal Sadar upazila. "We are working to provide them with 10kg rice and lentils each as emergency relief," he said.
According to the departments of social services and fisheries, around 2,000 Manta people live across Sadar, Hizla, Babuganj, and Mehendiganj upazilas of Barishal district. The total population across the division is estimated at around 7,000–8,000, though officials admit no formal survey has been conducted yet.
During the 22-day fishing ban, the government allocated 3,585.95 tonnes of rice for 1,43,438 registered fisher families in Charfasson upazila -- 25 kg for each family.
Md Anisuzzaman, assistant director of the divisional fisheries office in Barishal, said, "Not all fishermen receive rice aid. Around 80 percent of registered cardholders get it. Most Manta community members previously didn't apply for fisher ID cards, so only a few have them."
"Low literacy and lack of awareness have made it difficult for them to access aid. Moreover, since they constantly move from place to place, local representatives are reluctant to include them in official lists," he added.
