Drifting homes, enduring cyclones: Survival of the Manta community between water and land
In the remote canals of Bhola Island, at the edge of southern Barishal district in Bangladesh, hundreds of floating homes drift quietly, each one holding stories of silent resilience and unyielding persistence. These delicate wooden boats belong to the Manta people, a community long ostracised by neighbours, for their unique nomadic way of life on water.
The floating lifestyle sets up the Manta against unique challenges. Simple daily tasks, such as cooking or using the washroom, must be done on the boat. Larger concerns include sending children to school, accessing healthcare and integrating themselves into a society which deems them “different”.
Fishermen by nature, the Manta men move to the Meghna River during Monsoons equipped with sturdier boats, fishing nets, hooks and other wide-scale supplies rented to them by “Mahajan” (supply owners). The condition for this generosity? The Mahajan will buy the catch at a price they alone will dictate. And so, the plight of the Manta continues, after a day of exhausting labour, they are left with almost nothing, often sinking deeper into debt to the Mahajan. Many of the community have stated that the day-to-day fishing no longer sustains their families, and their situation worsens when disaster strikes.
The Bay of Bengal and its surrounding coasts are no strangers to seasonal cyclones, storms that can devastate entire communities. For the Manta, whose lives and belongings are tied to their fragile boats, these waters are both home and hardship. “We can’t leave our boats; everything we own is here. I lost a grandchild to this canal, and just days ago, another child drowned”, shares Neelima (pseudonym), a courageous Manta woman speaking out for her community’s rights.
With no solid roof over their heads, the Manta struggle to find shelter when cyclonic winds lash the coast. Some seek out kind neighbours willing to take them and their children in when disaster strikes. Others can only wait, counting the minutes in their fragile boats on turbulent waters, afraid to abandon the few belongings they possess.
Recently, under the Start Ready National Reserve funded project to strengthen seasonal preparedness for cyclones, JAGO NARI, Start Bangladesh Hub’s member, has constructed boat docks in Rajapur Union of Bhola Sadar, where the Manta community resides during the fishing off-season. While around 100–150 families typically live along these canals, the number can rise to nearly 200 when saline waters affect the river near Monpura Island, a community representative confirmed.
As part of the project, a three-foot dock was built along the canal to help the Manta safely reach shelter homes in case of emergencies. The dock now provides a sense of security, offering families a place to tie their boats and move to land when cyclones strike. The docks now offer more than a safe passage to land during cyclones, they bring the Manta a sense of dignity, safety, and belonging in a world that has long overlooked them. And with so many social and economic burdens already weighing on their lives, the struggle for survival itself should not be yet another burden they must bear.