Barisal Division

Barisal Division exists because the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta exists—and this southern region sits at the delta's fragile edge where land dissolves into the Bay of Bengal. The division's 13,000 square kilometers of waterways earned it the nickname 'Venice of the East,' but the comparison understates how completely water defines life here. Char lands—temporary islands formed by sediment accumulation—appear and disappear, creating property rights disputes that no cadastral system can resolve. The Sundarbans mangrove forest, shared with Khulna Division, provides storm protection that no seawall could match, but rising sea levels threaten to breach natural defenses. Barisal city's floating guava markets represent adaptation to aquatic geography: produce travels by boat because roads flood. The August 2024 political upheaval that toppled Sheikh Hasina's government reached Barisal with violence that left the division economically disrupted. Agriculture employs most workers—rice, jute, and betel nut—but yields depend on monsoon timing that climate change destabilizes. Remittances from Gulf states and Malaysia supplement agricultural income, creating dependency on foreign labor markets that economic downturns expose. Cyclone Sidr (2007) killed over 3,000 in Barisal Division alone, demonstrating vulnerability that infrastructure investment has only partially addressed. The division's population of 9 million faces a future where the land they stand on may literally wash away—some projections suggest millions of climate refugees by mid-century. By 2026, Barisal's trajectory depends on whether Bangladesh's post-revolution government prioritizes delta adaptation or whether resources flow to Dhaka's garment factories instead.