Assessment of household vulnerability to embankment breaching in the coastal area of the Indian Sundarban

Abstract

The coastal and low-lying areas of the Indian Sundarban are highly vulnerable to multiple hazards. Cyclonic hazards and floods have become a regular phenomenon in this fragile region. The villages and their households of this region are very much vulnerable to embankment breaching. Embankments in this region have been built since 1770, but it was so much unsuccessful in coping with storm surges or flood hazards. The study focuses on assessing the vulnerability of households that are spatially affected by embankment breaching. The methodology is composed of four dimensions of vulnerability including social, economic, physical, and environmental, which cover thirty-four indicators. From dimension-wise vulnerability, the overall vulnerability of households has been estimated. Based on the proximity to the embankment breaching location and impact, 330 households from eleven villages were selected to conduct the household survey. The study also adopted the relative effect score method to delineate the influence of indicators on the vulnerability of each specific village. The result shows that households belonging to Patibunia, Lakshmipur Abad, and Ganeshnagar occupy a very high categorical position in overall household vulnerability. The higher degree of exposure due to embankment breaching, unequal infrastructure, unstable economic structure, and a low level of education is considered to be highly sensitive towards vulnerability. The method is flexible and can be replicated and modified in other spatial scales for rapid decision-making.