Share this on social media
No room to cut: Rising inflation traps Bangladesh climate migrants
(Reuters, 27 Sep 2022) As fuel prices and the cost of living soar, Bangladesh's poorest warn "I can't survive".
When Abul Kashem moved to Dhaka two years ago, after the roiling Jamuna River eroded away his home and farm in northern Bangladesh, the work he found helping grocery buyers carry their wares paid just enough to feed his family and pay his rent.
But with the government increasing fuel prices 50% in August, inflation on the rise and the economy slowing, getting by is now much harder, especially for the most vulnerable, including the capital's legions of migrants forced from their rural homes by climate change impacts.
Kashem says fewer people can now afford to pay for his services, and those that do are paying less, which means his income, once 1,000 to 1,200 taka ($10-12) a day, has more than halved, even as his own rent and grocery bills have risen.
As a result, his family has had to cut back on meals, and last month were forced to find new lodging 20 kilometres (12 miles) from his job.
Under the weight of so many losses, "I can't survive," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
External link
Reuters, 27 Sep 2022: No room to cut: Rising inflation traps Bangladesh climate migrants
