Climate Change Induced Economic Transformation, Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Aila (Tropical Cyclone) Susceptible Areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh is a land of natural calamities. Due to locational disadvantage, especially situated at the tip of the funnel shaped Bay of Bengal on the south and at the foot of Himalayas on the north, every year it experiences a number of different types of natural calamities, such as flood, cyclone, river bank erosion, and drought etc. Literatures indicate that recently, frequency of these events has been increased due to climate change. As per spatial distribution of natural calamities, northern part is prone to flood, western part prone to drought, eastern part basically hilly region prone to flash flood and southern part prone to cyclone. The Southern part, along the coast of Bangladesh is the worst affected area to cyclone and its ultimate effects. Basically, economic sector is the hard hited among all other sectors. Tropical cyclone Aila tore the area in 2009 affected the livelihood of people. The study is an effort to discuss the vulnerability and adaptation strategy of the inhabitants in the light of economic change like occupation, income, expenditure capacity, savings, housing structures, general and agricultural land use etc. that taken place due to Aila. Necessary data and information were collected from both primary and secondary sources for the study, and to analysis and representation of collected data both quantitative and qualitative analysis and mapping techniques have been applied. For statistical analysis SPSS, image processing IRDAS IMAGIN 9.2, and mapping analysis ArcMap-ArcInfo software have been used. The research findings indicate that because of cyclone Aila, economy of the area have been taken down turn. Most of people were engaged with agriculture allied activities, but after Aila agricultural land has been converted into aquaculture. Consequently, people had to change less earning occupation such as daily labour, rickshaw puller, brickfield worker etc. As a result, people had to reduce all sorts of consumptions to cope with the changing situation. GOs and NGOs extended hand through limited opportunity to rebuilding house, dam, road, reforestation but not any income generate activities. So, the livelihood of the people is still vulnerable in terms of economy. This following research recommends to recover the vulnerable situation through creation of income opportunity in the study area. Key words: Cyclone Aila, Economic transformation, Land use change, Vulnerability, Adaptation