It is throbbing icy-cold water flowing downstream from the Himalayan range to the river Mohananda in Tentulia. Hundreds of labourers are seen to plunge in neck deep water of the river to lift pebbles from the shallow surface of the river.
Collecting pebbles by diving like a 'Cormorant' from inside the icy-deep water for the entire day looks as though the bodies of those labourers are made of stone whom the cold does not touch. After all days of toil, these labourers sell their collected pebbles to the Mahajons and earn Tk 500 to 700 each daily by which they maintain their families.
The scenario is the same for more than 50,000 stone-labourers of the northern most frontier upazila Tentulia under Panchagarh district. The total population of the district is nearly 150,000.
To the labourers, Mohananda is their Goddess of Fate. Millions of CFT pebbles are being lifted from the river bed every day. From early morning, labourers in group start to dive down into icy water with specially made floating circular tube, iron made sieve or wooden filters and an iron rod. After loading the lifted pebbles inside a basket on the floating tube, those are carried beside the river and those are then stored beside the river. In the evening, those stored pebbles are sold to the stone traders or the Mahajons. Each stone labourer can earn Tk 500 to 700 per day after all their day's toil.
Some stone collector labourers informed on Thursday (30 Dec-2021) morning that they entered into the river at 8-00 AM. The water is icy cold but they don't have any alternative. There is no other work available outside their villages.
Toriqul Islam of Amjuani village under Debnagar union informed, on the grace of Allah, their daily wages is earned from the river. He informed, with his wife, four daughters and one son, he manages his family from the income earned from selling pebbles collected from the river bed. He said, the water of the river is as cold as ice.
Another labour Belal of Kalidaspara village under Buraburi union informed, he has to maintain his five-member family by selling pebbles of the river.
Toriqul and Belal further mentioned they often suffer from various cold related ailments but they have no way but to collect and sell the pebbles to survive. They further mentioned, they often also face resistance from the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) even after collecting pebbles from inside Bangladeshi territory. As a result, they have to abandon their work for time being which poses a threat to their daily income.
Despite the pebble lifting labourers, hundreds of male and female labourers are engaged in netting, sorting and crushing of the pebbles. Both sides of some 20 kilometre of road from Tentulia to Bangla Bandha land port works of pebble loading-unloading, netting, sorting and crushing are continuing.
Samina Begum wife of Asgar Ali of village Chowdhurypara works a labourer in stone crushing machine. She said, she rises from the bed during the time of Azan in the morning.
Then she cooks food for her and for the family members and then after feeding every one, she went out of the house to attend her job. She complained, if she is late for any emergency in any day, the Mahajon rebukes her or she is not allowed to join the work.
Sohag Chandra Saha, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Tentulia informed, there having no industry in the upazila, there is an acute shortage of employment in Tentulia. Tentulia is famous for Tea and Stone. The Mohanada river has created job opportunity for thousands of workers. The government have managed to provide shelters for many people of the upazila. People of the upazila are also provided with various government financial assistance and relief.
Rasel Shah, Officer-in-charge of Tentulia Meteorological Office informed, the lowest 8 to 9 degree Celsius temperature has been recorded in the upazila for the last 10-day or more. The intensity of cold is likely to drop further during January first week, he predicted.