An Internal Environmental Displacement and Livelihood Security in Uttar Bedkashi Union of Bangladesh

Abstract

The climate change related hydro-meteorological disaster impacts in the coastal region of Bangladesh cause widespread loss of lives, damage of properties, infrastructure and degrade the entire environment and disrupt the ecosystem. Thus people lost their means of livelihoods, habitat, and finally they are forced to leave their land of origin. This study was aimed to investigate the factors that influence human displacement, their way of securing livelihood and how best can be reduce the vulnerability occur due to internal displacement in Uttar Bedkashi Union under Koyra Upazila in Khulna district of Bangladesh which was destroyed by super cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009 and caused human displacement and migration. Field investigation, focus group discussion, in-depth household survey, key informant interview and literature review methods were followed to collect primary and secondary data from January 2014 to June 2014. The study revealed that the land has become completely barren to all agricultural practices due to salinity intrusion caused by embankment failure resulted in long term saline water logging, demolish soil characteristics, creates sever unemployment problem, changed the ecosystem balance and this circumstance ultimately led people to temporary or permanent displacement to other regions to seek nonfarm livelihood e.g. paddy sowing/harvesting, rickshaw puller, day labor etc ranging from one week to a maximum of six months. But in the study area seasonal migration or internal displacement is established as a sustainable way of accessing the benefits of development in other regions; facilitates victim in reducing vulnerabilities, smoothing economic burden and earning remittances to invest in a better future and increased their adaptive capacity. Reclamation of the saline affected land and resumption of agriculture practice and creation of diversified livelihoods options can positively contribute to minimize climate induced human displacement in coastal Bangladesh.