Nature and extent of population displacement due to climate change triggered disasters in south-western coastal region of Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose – Climate change has several impacts on people ' s lives, directly or indirectly, and displacement is one such indirect effect. The purpose of this paper is to bring this fact to light, as Bangladesh is going to face severe problems due to the displacement of population predicted by researchers. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an outcome of a thorough study of Bogi village in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Several factors such as demographic conditions, natural disasters, land loss and changes in landuse pattern, have been taken into consideration. Methods used for data collection were questionnaire survey and focus group discussions in the study area. The nature and extent of displacement are found by comparing the changes in occupation, location of settlement and permanent migration of family members. Findings – Population growth rate decreased in recent years as the annual growth rate for both sexes was 0.89 in between 1991 and 2001 but in recent years, from 2001 to 2005, it was 0.63, which is a clear indication that the natural growth is hampered or a major proportion of the population is migrating. On the other hand, 361 hectors of land were lost throughout the last 18 years. As a result, 93 percent of people in that area were forced to move to other places for at least one time in their life. The major reason of displacement found was loss of land and occupation caused by cyclone, storm surge and erosion. Practical implications – The study findings depict scenarios of rural urban migration due to disasters and critically found out the sectors to be addressed. The study can be a representative of the condition of almost all the remote coastal region and may work as a hammering tool to formulate strategic options to deal with the environmental issues and socio-economic situation. Originality/value – Sophisticated but commonly used methods and techniques have been used to find out the problems associated with climate change and disasters in the coastal belt. The study has taken an initiative to identify climate change impacts at micro level on the basis of spatial and non-spatial attributes. The way this study was conducted can be a popular path to put future researches on a human-oriented track.