Climate-induced natural disasters displaced 18.5% of people in the Khulna region this year (2025). It was 16.5% in 2021, followed by 17% in 2022, 17.5% in 2023, and 18% in 2024. These displaced people are now fighting for survival.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) Report 2025, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Bangladesh increased by about 6 lakh in just one year. The current number of displaced people is nearly 24 lakh, a significant rise from 18 lakh in 2023.
In disaster-related displacement, Bangladesh ranks fifth globally. According to IDMC, 1 in every 7 Bangladeshis will be displaced due to climate change by 2050. The World Bank also reports that around 4 lakh people migrate from rural to urban areas each year.
This was revealed at a citizens’ dialogue held at Khulna Press Club recently. The Climate Advisory Forum (Khulna District Chapter) and LEADERS (Local Environment Development and Agricultural Research Society) jointly organised the dialogue.
Regarding climate-induced internal displacement, speakers at the dialogue highlighted coastal salinity and health risks, noting that salinity continues to spread. About 53% of the southwestern coastal areas—including Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat—are experiencing varying levels of salinity.
During the dry season, sodium levels in water reach 516 mg/day, raising the risk of pre-eclampsia and hypertension among pregnant women by 512%. From 2001–2009, soil salinity increased by 39%.
Saline water is causing higher rates of diarrhoea, skin diseases, hypertension and other waterborne illnesses—particularly among children and the elderly. Among women, pregnancy-related hypertension and pre-eclampsia have reached 16%, directly linked to unsafe drinking water.
Salinity threatens agriculture, food security, health, and women’s reproductive health, placing coastal communities under significant pressure. Although water bodies and deep tube wells exist, excessive arsenic, salinity and iron make them unsuitable for drinking. Women, in particular, endure daily hardship collecting clean water.
The main goal of the dialogue was to ensure that political parties include clear commitments in their upcoming election manifestos regarding climate-related crises in coastal regions—displacement, salinity, water scarcity, livelihood threats and infrastructural weaknesses.
BNP candidate Nazrul Islam Manju said that climate issues are included in the party’s 31-point plan and can be further elaborated. He also urged local political leaders to get united on climate issues. Elected representatives must not become bureaucratically controlled politicians, and the government must listen to experts, NGOs and citizen leaders, he added.
The BNP leader emphasised that people in the southwest face immense suffering, with displaced individuals living in makeshift huts. He also proposed establishing housing and providing land so they can build their own homes and plant trees.
Kohinur Akter Kona, Member Secretary of Bangladesh Socialist Party, Khulna District, said that development which does not benefit people and harms the environment cannot be considered true development. She stressed the need to rethink large budget allocations for embankments that do not last, and noted that women are disproportionately forced into hardship.
Moderated by Gauranga Nandi, President of Climate Advisory Forum, Khulna District, the keynote paper was submitted by Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul, General Secretary of the same organisation.
