For the Manta community living on boats along the Bukhainagar river, Eid celebrations are short-lived, as life quickly returns to hardship the very next day.
Although many families managed to enjoy chicken and rice on Eid day, they reverted to their usual meals the following morning. For decades, hundreds of people from the Manta community have lived in rows of boats along the riverbanks, where their lives begin and end on water.
More than 500 people from around 115 boats make up this floating community. Fishing is their only source of livelihood, and they travel long distances using hooks and nets to catch fish.
“This is a busy time for us due to strong winds and good fish availability,” said Jasim Uddin, a leader of the fleet.
“On Eid day, we all ate rice with chicken. But the next day, we returned to our previous condition. We had watered rice in the morning and went out fishing in the Tetulia and Arial Kha rivers. After catching some poa fish, we came to the market in the afternoon to sell them. We bought essentials and returned to the boat to cook,” he said.
“The day after Eid is just like any other day for us. We have to catch fish, sell it, and then eat. If we catch fish, we can eat; if not, we survive on plain rice with salt,” he added.
Mumtaz Begum, a housewife from the community, described similar struggles. “On Eid day, we could at least give our children some meat. But the next day, we had nothing. We managed with simple rice and lentils,” she said.
Members of the Manta community say their boat-based lifestyle leaves them excluded from government support. “Because we live on boats, we do not receive government assistance. Many of us do not even have national ID cards, so we are not eligible for social safety net programmes. We want an end to this situation,” they said.
Mohammad Ali Jibon, chief coordinator of Chandradwip Development Society, said that more than 1,000 people from over 300 Manta families live across five unions in Barishal Sadar upazila, including Shayestabad, Charkaua, Charmonai, and Tungibaria.
District Social Services Officer, Barishal, Akhtaruzzaman Talukdar said that 50 members of the Manta community have been brought under assistance programmes this year. “Gradually, most of them will be included under social allowance schemes,” he added.
