Foundations of Migration from the Disaster Consequences Coastal Area of Bangladesh

Abstract

In Bangladesh the most crucial impact of climate change will result in the migration of the people from coastal areas to all over the country.  Increases in the frequency and severity of chronic environmental hazards and sudden onset disasters are projected to alter the typical migration patterns of different communities. The relationship between climate change and human security is not necessarily direct, but depends on a chain of consequences. This paper deals with the migration patterns of disaster affected coastal areas of Bangladesh. Life of coastal community is experienced with multiple vulnerabilities due to natural disasters. A questionnaire survey was done with 49 randomly selected people to identify the determinants of migration in the study area. Natural disasters were the most frequently cited cause of insecurity in a household survey undertaken for the present study. Other environmental problems such as riverbank erosion and the loss of natural resources were also recorded as significant challenges. The collected data then were analyzed by computer based software SPSS. Findings show that erosion and cyclone are strongly related with migration in the study area where flood, tornado and drought have no strong influence for that so called “ climate change refugees”.

Keywords: Climate change, human security, migration pattern, natural disaster, natural resources, climate change refugees.