Living along the coast of Bangladesh: A Floating Country with a Sinking Culture
Md Faisal Imran1, Samiya A Selim1 and Emilie Crémin2
1Center for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh
2Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Abstract
Bangladesh is considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change due to its low-lying topography and a geographical location susceptible to cyclones, floods, and tidal surges. Consequently, coastal and riverbank erosion has resulted in the displacement of many villages. These displacements contribute to population densification, social and economic vulnerability, and rapid urbanisation. After losing their farmlands and homes, people are forced to find new land, often settling along the embankments or on state-owned land along coasts and rivers. Given this general context, ENGAGE4SUNDARBANS project aims to understand plural accounts and interpretations of the Sundarbans’ ‘riskscape’, produced by state and non- governmental actors and diverse members of the local communities. It seeks to support situated adaptive practices that enhance social resilience through transdisciplinary engagement across the political boundaries of the Sundarbans.
In my presentation, I will first portray the tools and the methodology used by our transdisciplinary team to understand the ‘riskscape’ which includes archival research ethnography and GIS that show the process of ‘polderisation’ of the delta, embankment construction, coastal erosion, and embankment breaches, leading to loss of land and displacement of communities. I will briefly outline the resulting displacement patterns (Khas land occupation or rehabilitation in camps), reasons for displacement, and the number of displaced people in Bangladesh. Firstly, an overview of the living conditions of the people who found space on Khas land will be presented, along with the
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Regional Workshop on Relocation as a Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy in South Asia 2024
constraints they faced while being entitled to land according to the ‘Khas Land Settlement Policy, 1997’. Secondly, the rehabilitation and resettlement programs implemented by the Bangladesh government in camps, to highlight the challenges faced by the inhabitants of the Guchogram/Climate Victims Rehabilitation Program/Ashrayan Project in different districts. In conclusion, I will critically analyse the terms used by the governments, media, and academia to describe the situation observed in the region of the Sundarbans: ‘Entitlement’, ‘Encroacher/s’, ‘Tenancy’, ‘Squatters’, ‘Common Property Resources (CPR)’, ‘Acquisition and Requisition’, ‘Immovable Property Rights’ under policies in Bangladesh. Finally, recommendations will be given on how these processes could be improved.
Keywords: Relocation, Resettlement, Riskscape, Relocation Policy