Maidul Islam

Dhaka

Correspondent at The Daily Prothom Alo

Journalist

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Articles

Climate migrants falling prey to modern slavery

2 weeks ago | en.prothomalo.com | Mosabber Hossain |Maidul Islam

A study published by IIED has highlighted the issue of slavery within workplaces in Bangladesh. Three years ago, Afzal Hossain (40) left his home in Lengura, Gowainghat, Sylhet, to work in a garment factory in Savar, Dhaka. Three other men from his community joined him, and they all stayed in the same rented room. Back home, work was scarce, wages were low, and jobs were sporadic. When Afzal found work in Dhaka, his salary was a meager Tk 7,500.
Climate change: No statistics on displacement, concerns about future

1 month ago | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

The year was 1988. Belayet Hossain, a newly married man from Uzirpur, Barisal, worked on a ship. Their home was on the banks of the Shandhya River. When the devastating floods of 1988 struck, the house was completely destroyed. Seeking to rebuild their lives and find new means of livelihood, the young couple relocated to the neighboring district Bagerhat. For three decades, Belayet and his family lived as displaced persons, moving between various areas of Bagerhat.
Climate Change: Poverty-stricken Patuakhali faces persistent crises

2 months ago | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Barishal division was once referred to as the ‘Granary of Bengal’ and Patuakhali was a part of this fertile region. However, climate change has gradually rendered Patuakhali one of the poorest districts in the country. The challenges do not end there. In addition to the long-standing effects of environmental change, new crises continue to emerge, exacerbating the hardships faced by the people of Patuakhali.
The mystery of coloured water in Kalapara

2 months ago | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Two liquid-filled bottles are positioned next to each other. The liquids are different, but the colour is almost the same. One gives off a stench similar to petrol when the caps are taken off and the bottles are placed close to the nose, the other is odourless. In reality, the odorless container contains drinking water. The yellowish, petrol-like water is what the residents of Kalapara in Patuakhali are surviving on.
Cultivating watermelons in polybags in fear of salinity

2 months ago | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Climate change: Patuakhali When Aman rice is nearly ready for harvest, farmers fill small polythene bags with soil and sow one watermelon seed in each bag at various locations around the house—in the veranda, in corners of rooms, or at the edges of fields. As the seedlings grow, farmers prepare the fields for watermelon cultivation after harvesting rice. The field is left to dry in the sun after one round of cultivation. After several phases of cultivation, farmers create raised beds in the field.
Climate change: Deer almost disappear from Nijhum Dwip

Jan 11, 2025 | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Prothom Alo investigation Nijhum Dwip 2 Wild dogs and jackals would prey on baby deer. Thousands of deer were also killed in high tide, cyclones and tidal surges. There was also a lack of pure drinking water for the deer due to rising salinity. Local people and tourists began hunting deer tooTowards the beginning of the sixties, an initiative had been taken up to create a 'Sundarban' on Nijhum Dwip of Hatiya upazila in Noakhali and that effort continued even after the independence of Bangladesh.
Climate change: Nijhum Dwip falls prey to election politics

Jan 9, 2025 | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Prothom Alo investigation Nijhum Dwip-1 Nijhum Dwip had given people a sense of hope of protection from the frequent cyclones and tidal surges. But today as far as the eye can see, there is just destructionStanding vigil to protect the country from the onslaught of storms and devastation along the coast, on the southwest of Bangladesh lies the Sundarbans and on the southeast is a wall of forests and hills.
Illegal debt networks spread from Dhaka to the sea

Oct 16, 2024 | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Climate change: Prothom Alo investigation-3 Though the practice of dadon (traditional lending with high interest) in Bangladesh goes back to the British era, it is socially contemptible and illegal under the laws of the land. The practice of dadon began during the British rule to control the indigo farmers. The East India Company introduced this practice as a trade of interest. The company abolished and reintroduced these practices several times.
Reducing the Crisis of Drinking Water in Mongla: BRAC's Rainwater Harvesting Solution

Mar 24, 2024 | en.prothomalo.com | Maidul Islam

Renuka Roy was a teenager when she got married. Renuka noticed there was no drinking water available around her husband’s house. She began collecting water from local Gharami ponds, a task that required her to spend 30 minutes on foot each day. Since then, collecting water has become her daily routine, taking up 3-4 hours of her day. ‘Rich people used to collect water by van or boat, but we didn’t have that facility.