Bangladesh: Life and Death in Rising Waters | Sunken Country (Documentary)

By 2050, 30% of Bangladesh will be under water. One in three inhabitants, some 60 million people, are threatened by marine flooding. No other country in the world is so at risk from rising waters. The main culprit: global warming.

To the south, in the Ganges delta, the salt water that invades the land has disrupted the entire economy of the region. Many farmers have had to convert their rice paddies into shrimp farms, which are much less profitable. The country is also threatened from within by its gigantic rivers. The melting ice of the Himalayas and heavy monsoon rains are dangerously increasing their flow. Every year, the rivers burst their banks and tens of thousands of homes are washed away. Every year, nearly 15,000 children drown in the rising waters.

Due to all these natural disasters, Dhaka, the capital, is facing a massive influx of climate refugees. Having lost everything, they are looking for odd jobs to survive. Korban Ali became a tricycle driver to transport people. He works 12 hours a day, seven days a week, in the hope of providing a better life for his children.

Bangladesh is also battling extreme pollution caused largely by the textile industry. Every day tons of toxic waste are released into nature. Sewage treatment plants empty their tanks loaded with carcinogenic chemicals directly into the rivers. But a new middle and upper class wants to change mentalities. The first model companies are emerging. Jahirul was educated in Australia. Now director of a ship dismantling yard, he has invested 10 million euros to be able to reprocess hazardous waste, such as asbestos, batteries and engine oils.

This documentary was first released in 2022.

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