The Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) published by Germanwatch in 2021 ranked Bangladesh as the seventh most vulnerable nation to climate change impact. The geographical location, dense population, and socio-economic conditions are the prime factors that make the country susceptible to various natural calamities, and multiple studies report that such natural occurrences are being more intensified and frequent over the last few decades due to the impacts of climate change.
Cyclones and tropical storms take a heavy toll on the coastal regions of Bangladesh, as the funnel shape delta, suitable depth, and temperature (minimum 26.5˚C during pre- and post-monsoon season) make the Bay of Bengal an ideal region for cyclone formation and inland landfall. In the last three years, four cyclones hit the coast of the country, claiming lives and causing massive destruction.
The coastal communities are at the frontlines of the cyclones, and they have been dealing with various adversities resulting from such disasters over the years. The situation gets worsened in the remote islands of the central coastline of Bangladesh. From our recent visit to the coastal islands (Bhola, Char Kukri Mukri, Monpura, Hatiya, and Nijhum Dwip) we have preliminarily found three dominating factors that have been hindering the disaster risk resilience to tackle the impacts of climate change.
“Remoteness” is the first and foremost barrier to development in the coastal islands of Bangladesh. The islands and chars found in the central coastal region are situated at a distance from the mainland and are scattered along the estuary of the Meghna basin. The transportation system from the mainland to the major islands such as Bhola are well advanced; however, accessing the char lands and small islands becomes difficult due to the insufficient transportation facilities.
Secondly, the communities living in these small islands and the char lands rely much on solar power and electricity generators as they have no access to the national grid. Besides our visit, we were able to identify a significant number of multi-purpose cyclone shelters, but the number of healthcare facilities in the area were only a small handful. Therefore, during an emergency, especially during disasters, the inhabitants of these small islands and char land face extreme hardship in terms of mobility and health care services.
From our observation, we found that “religious superstitions” still prevail in society in most of the coastal regions. Here, the locals depend much on the preaching of so-called religious leaders and in every step of their lives, they try to obey the commandments. But oftentimes it is noted that the teachings and philosophy of such religious leaders are biased, erroneous, and illogical.
They manipulate and misinterpret the religious teaching as per their personal interest and take the advantage of the ignorance of the common folks. Such practices create mass confusion and become a major constraint to ensure the participation of all the stakeholders, especially the elderly and the women of the community while initiating a development measure and disaster risk resilience.
For instance, an elderly person from our study opines that “it is not certainly necessary to relocate to the cyclone shelter before a cyclone, as his religious leader says it is the Almighty who could have saved them, not man-made infrastructures.”
Hence, “reluctance” to take part in various development initiatives, and life-saving measures can be observed among the community members living in these small islands and char lands. From our study, we also find that in most cases, women are discouraged to move out-doors, which surely becomes a major concern while relocating to the cyclone shelters during the pre-disaster period. However, there are multiple reasons for women being “unwilling” to relocate to the cyclone shelters, which include lack of safety and security, menstrual hygiene issues, and sanitation facilities.
Nevertheless, the scenarios are changing day by day in these remote islands and char lands. In the tourist destination sites such as Char Kukri Mukri and Nijhum Dwip, women are observed to run small businesses, which helps them to support their families. Moreover, the society there supports such practices and with the help of the government and different donor NGO women are becoming self-reliant.
The Village Home Stay (VHS) service is one such initiative that has enabled many women to earn their livelihood all by themselves. In other islands and char lands where tourism is yet to be promoted, the social scenario seems to be completely opposite and more conservative. Hence, the promotion of tourism can be a tool to involve all the stakeholders of the society to ensure overall development.
Undoubtedly the government, along with other developing organizations, has undertaken various development initiatives for the betterment of the coastal inhabitants living in the remote areas. But yet, there are many scopes and opportunities that can be explored and taken into consideration.
First of all, the accessibility to these remote islands and char lands should be improved. Increasing and improving the quantity and quality of water vessels and their services can be an option, which could be operated and maintained by the local government authority in a systematic manner engaging the local community members.
Secondly, the number of healthcare facilities should be increased, and necessary support services should be available. Ensuring quality education should be prioritized in these remote areas and more emphasis should be given to secondary and higher secondary education.
Considering the socio-economic scenario, formal education till secondary classes should be subsidized. Besides, vocational learning and training facilities can be developed and promoted. At the same time, women’s education should be ensured for the well-being of the society.
In the cyclone shelters, women’s protection should be prioritized and a proper mechanism can be introduced to ensure the safety and security. Menstrual hygiene issues and sanitation facilities should also be considered with great importance.
Mass awareness and social campaigns can be organized where religious scholars and community leaders can share their knowledge and experience to redeem the locals from false beliefs, practices, and superstitions over time.
Finally, initiatives can be undertaken to promote tourism in several remote islands and char lands by conserving natural resources, which would draw the attention of many and ultimately influence the entire social system.
These would aid to change the outlook of the society gradually, which would ease the process of development initiatives and could also enhance resilience to disaster risk resilience, ensuring everyone’s participation.
Savio Rousseau Rozario is currently working at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) as a Research Officer. He holds a great interest in disaster risk reduction and management practices in terms of climate change impact. He can be reached at [email protected].
Maliha Masfiqua Malek is working at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) as a Research Officer. She is enthusiastic about working in coastal areas in the context of climate change impact. She can be reached at [email protected]
