In the swamplands along Bangladesh’s mighty Padma River, snakes slithering through villages have become an unrelenting menace, leaving residents terrified and hospitals overwhelmed with bite victims.Doctors and experts warn snakebites are on the rise, driven by heavy rains, shrinking habitats and shifting farming practices.Bangladesh — among the nations most vulnerable to climate change — has seen nearly 15,000 snakebite admissions this year, with 84 deaths reported so far.Farmer Ananda Mondol broke down as he recalled how a snake bit his ankle while he was working in a rice field this year.”I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move,” the 35-year-old from Nimtola, a village in the northern district of Rajshahi, told AFP.”I vomited, lost control of my bowels, and saliva was coming out of my mouth.”He spent three days in intensive care, and is still plagued by sleepless nights and persistent muscle pain.The father of four has not returned to the fields since.His wife, Sunita Rani, a traditional healer, said the family cannot afford further treatment.Across the villages of northern Bangladesh, similar stories abound.”Sometimes, they even lie with us on the bed,” said Rezina Begum, as she washed clothes by the river. Another villager, Mohammad Bablu, told AFPhe dreads walking through the fields.”My heart races,” he said. “Only yesterday they killed seven snakes.”- ‘Strong swimmers’ -The swamplands have always been a sanctuary for snakes, but floodwaters brought on by this year’s extra heavy monsoon rains have pushed more of them from their natural shelters into human settlements.And doctors say that has ramped up the deadly consequences.At least 25 people have died from snakebites at the Rajshahi Medical College hospital since January, said professor of medicine Abu Shahin Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman.The hospital treated more than 1,000 cases in nine months, including 206 bites from venomous species such as cobras, kraits and the feared Russell’s viper.”Many patients suffer acute kidney failure after snakebites,” Rahman said.Nationwide, authorities have recorded 84 snakebite deaths so far this year, alongside nearly 15,000 admissions.That follows 118 deaths in 2024, one of the highest tolls in recent memory.The once uncommon venomous Russell’s viper has seen a resurgence in numbers since 2013, spreading panic.Fatalities have risen steadily since.A prolific breeder, Russell’s vipers do not lay eggs — they give birth to as many as 60 babies at a time, making them difficult to contain.”They are strong swimmers and can float on water hyacinths,” said Farid Ahsan, professor of zoology at Chittagong University.This year’s heavy rains have worsened the risk.Rajshahi recorded 1,409 millimetres of rainfall between May and September, nearly a fifth higher above the seasonal norm of 1,175 mm.- Boots and nets -But experts say climate change is only part of the picture.Gowhar Naim Wara, a disaster management specialist, blamed urbanisation and farming practices.”Their habitat is gone, and they are now living in close contact with humans,” Wara said.Hospitals have scrambled to stock antivenom.”We have sufficient antivenoms for the next three weeks,” said Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, adding that more imports were on the way.But experts caution imported antidotes are not always effective, as venoms vary by species and region.Bangladesh is working on its own treatments, with progress on a Russell’s viper antivenom — though rollout remains at least three years away.In the meantime, villagers are adapting as best they can — carrying sticks and torches at night, wearing jeans and boots in the fields, and sleeping under mosquito nets.”It could be any of us next,” said Bablu. “We live every day with that thought.”

When Donald Trump was elected, Indian garment exporter R.K. Sivasubramaniam thought the new US president would boost business and invested heavily in anticipation of a boom.But less than a year later, everything is “upside down”, he admits with a pained smile.Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods, imposed in August, have upset the country’s $11 billion textile export industry and shaken confidence in the US market.Sivasubramaniam’s Raft Garments factory in southern India, normally frenetic with humming sewing machines, is quieter and work hours have been cut, hitting employees’ paypackets.If his US buyers turn to other suppliers, half his business could vanish.Meanwhile, half a million garments sit in towering stacks, ready for shipment but stalled over who will pay the new duties.Buyers are asking for a 16-20 percent discount.”We cannot give that much,” said Sivasubramaniam, whose desk carries crossed US and Indian flags. “It’s a very huge loss for us.”If Raft doesn’t shoulder part of the duties, it won’t be paid for garments already produced — leaving it unable to cover costs.”If it continues for another month… we cannot give work to our employees,” he warned.Trump’s anger at India’s purchases of Russian oil — which Washington says help finance Moscow’s war in Ukraine — has left New Delhi facing some of the world’s steepest tariffs.A trade deal that could ease that hinges partly on progress in peace talks.But the fallout is being felt in Tiruppur, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.- ‘Worst possible situation’ -Dubbed India’s “knitwear capital”, and “Dollar City” for its export earnings, the small industrial town produced $5 billion in garments last fiscal year, two-fifths going to the United States. Its lanes are dotted with thousands of units including dyeing, embroidery and sewing workshops.Manufacturers paint a grim picture.”US orders have largely stopped, around 80 percent of the US business has reduced,” said Ramesh Jebaraj of Trinity Tex.In the same season last year, he produced 100,000 garments.Now he has barely a fifth of that — forcing him to seek buyers in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.”This is the situation across Tiruppur,” he told AFP. “Some of the bigger factories are on the verge of closing some of their units.”Alexander John of NC John Garments, which supplies Walt Disney, called the tariff standoff “the worst possible situation any business can be in”.With his US orders “completely at a standstill”, he has cut shifts and laid off workers.To stay afloat, he is looking to Europe and Britain but said “none of these markets can replace the US”.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has warned that up to three million jobs could be at risk across the state’s textile belt, a grim prospect for a country struggling to provide well-paid work for its youth.Local industry associations say they have so far avoided widespread layoffs by agreeing to steep discounts on US shipments.”In the short term, we’re giving discounts to the customer ranging from 20 to 25 percent,” said N. Thirukkumaran, general secretary of the Tiruppur Exporters Association.But he admits it is not a long-term solution, and has pleaded for government support.- ‘We are helpless’ -Exporters describe the move as a calculated gamble, by selling at a loss to maintain US buyer relationships while awaiting a trade deal.At RRK Cotton’s facility in Palladam, 17 kilometres (10 miles) from Tiruppur, dimly lit production halls are quieter than normal.Owner R. Rajkumar, a former tailor who built his business over three decades, has closed two factories and furloughed some staff.”This is a situation nobody could have anticipated,” he said, adding that he was running three factories fulfilling European orders, and shipping some US orders after giving a discount.He fears the next ordering cycle could be disrupted if US buyers shift to rivals such as Vietnam or Bangladesh.All that depends on a trade deal.Meanwhile, anger and confusion run deep among workers and business owners.”My tailor… He doesn’t know what is a trade war, or why India is buying oil from Russia, and why it is affecting our lives, our bread,” said Kumar Duraiswamy, CEO of Eastern Global Clothing.”The problem is we are helpless,” he added.N. Karthick Raja, 38, employed at a small embroidery unit now running reduced shifts, fears for his livelihood.”If this job goes away, I don’t know what I will do next,” he said. “America has abandoned us, more or less.”