Impacts of Natural Disaster on the People`s Livelihood and the Adaptation Strategies of Amrajuri, Pirojpur, Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh has ranked first out of 170 countries for its susceptibility to the impacts of climate change, including its deltaic and low-lying regions, irregular rainfall patterns, rise in the frequency and intensity of floods, cyclones, and droughts, as well as its propensity for bad weather in the Bay. The current study aims to investigate the effects of natural disasters on people's livelihoods in the Amrajuri union at Kaukhali Upazila, within the Pirojpur district. Due to its geographic location and socioeconomic status, this area is much more vulnerable to natural disasters like cyclones, floods, river bank erosion, heavy rainfall, and storm surges. The 'Sustainable Livelihood Framework' created by Chambers and Conway (1991) can be obtained by adapting ecological, social, or economic systems to present or anticipated climatic stimuli and their consequences or implications. Accordingly, primary household questionnaire surveys, key informant inter-views, and focus group discussions and secondary newspapers, journals, books, articles, websites, and union Parishad office data were gathered. About 36% people of the Amrajuri union are depended on agriculture as their primary or secondary livelihood. Natural disasters, such as cyclone and riverbank erosion have had a devastating impact on the study area's livelihoods in many sectors, including the lack of access to clean drinking water, malnutrition, extreme poverty, health issues, livelihood-related losses, and damage to crop cultivation, fisheries, poultry, and vegetable gardens, among other areas. People are utilizing alternative livelihood practices such as fish farming, livestock farming, tree planting, vegetable farming, joint common land cultivation, selling labor, poultry farming, migration, loans, and government assistance for livelihood security to combat the impacts on their way of life. They are also implementing significant adaptation strategies such as, diversification of livelihood, migration for labor, loans, and humanitarian relief. They also apply some sector-based coping strategies.