Members of the Manta fishing community, who live on boats along rivers in southern Bangladesh, are struggling to survive after being left out of government food aid during the ongoing 22-day fishing ban.
Without access to fishing or rice allocations, many Manta families face severe food insecurity. “We are born on the river, and we also die on the river,” said Ayub Ali Sardar, head of the Manta fleet in Barishal’s Bukainagar area, to the The Daily Star. “Without government help, how can we survive when fishing is prohibited?”
Officials admitted they had no previous records of the Manta population and have ordered upazilas to begin data collection. The Department of Social Services identified 178 people in Laharhat and pledged to distribute 10 kilograms of rice and lentils per person.
Rough estimates suggest 7,000 to 8,000 Manta people live across Barishal Division. Most lack fishing ID cards, disqualifying them from the state’s relief program. Their nomadic lifestyle and low literacy have left them outside the system, deepening their poverty amid the ban.