The Sand Gobblers of Jadukata.

The Jadukata River in Sunamganj located in Bangladesh. This pristine river known for its breathtaking landscape, is slowly being choked to death. For decades, relentless and unregulated sand and stone extraction has pushed this once-thriving waterway to the brink of collapse. The river has already lost much of its navigability, while its banks, scarred by erosion, threaten nearby villages. Homes are vanishing into the water, and the very existence of the river hangs in the balance. Yet, thousands of impoverished laborers depend on this industry for survival. Their livelihoods are tied to the insatiable demand for sand, fueling a cycle of destruction driven by powerful local leaseholders who extract resources with little regard for environmental consequences. This is the stark reality of unchecked exploitation—where economic desperation meets corporate greed, leaving nature and communities vulnerable. In Bangladesh, rivers like the Jadukata are being sacrificed at an alarming rate, their fates sealed by a system that prioritizes profit over preservation. Thousands of laborers extract stone under the authority of powerful leaseholders, who are solely responsible for the gradual death of the river. This is how they are destroying the natural environment of Bangladesh.
While documenting this crisis, I was confronted by a trade union leader and his team, who tried to seize my camera and forced me to delete all my images. This is the only photograph I managed to save.