Climate Change-Induced Environmental Hazards and Aila Relief Measures Undertaken to Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India

Abstract

Environmental degradation induced by climate change has affected lives and livelihoods of the residents of the Sundarbans in both India and Bangladesh. The Sundarbans has been severely affected by sea level rise, salinity intrusion, increasing sea surface temperature, rainfall variability, storm surges, increased frequency of river flood, storms, over- siltation of the rivers, soil erosion, and island subsidence. In addition, the Bay of Bengal coast is a breeding place of tropical cyclones in the World. This chapter is primarily an extensive literature review on the climate change-induced environmental hazards and their impact on the ecosystem and human livelihoods in the Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh. In addition, this chapter also provides a detailed account of the recent cyclonic storm Aila that had hit the Bay of Bengal coast in 2009, the loss suffered, and the emergency relief operations that were undertaken. Finally, the structural and non-structural adaptation measures to environmental degradation and sudden onset disasters like storms, as well as, some cyclone mitigation strategies to reduce life loss and damage from future cyclones have been suggested in this chapter.