LocationsSurvival on the Edge: The Urgent Need for Action in Bangladesh's Climate-Vulnerable Islands
Why Do Small Islands Deserve Immediate Action?
August 21, 2024
Small Islands are separated from the mainland by water bodies like rivers or sea.
©UNDP Bangladesh
Surrounded by mighty rivers in low-lying delta terrain, Bangladesh is identified as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries. She faces both rapid and long-term consequences of climate change. Disasters like floods, cyclones, and draught have become regular phenomena here.
One of the prime victims of these disasters are Small Island people, who are separated from the mainland by water bodies like rivers or sea. They live from one disaster to another, which disrupts their regular lifestyle and impacts livelihood.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) started working in small islands in 2019. The aim of the project was to address the vulnerability of the communities living in riverine chars and coastal islands.
Reducing the agony of these people is not easy with the ever-deteriorating climate. Let’s look into the top 5 reasons why the Small Islands require immediate action:
Climate vulnerability brings additional crises to women living on those area
©UNDP Bangladesh
Climate Vulnerability
River-erosion and salinity intrusion are rampant in riverine charlands and coastal areas. Both are on the rise, with climate change destroying the balance of people living in this area.
Take the example of Amena Begum, a resident of Gangachara Upazila in Rangpur, who lost her home five times between 1986 and 2017 due to river erosion. It also took away her family's two acres of farmland.
Not only that, according to a recent news report, the rate of sea-level rise in the coastal areas of Bangladesh is 1-2 mm/year. Compared to the challenges, the support they receive is inadequate.
Like Amena, everyone in that Upazila dreams of sustainable solutions like raised homes and climate-resistant agriculture.
Unstable Livelihood
Since the population is always at risk of displacement, keeping a stable source of income remains challenging too. Esmot Ara a resident in Echli (Rangpur), explained, “There is a sharp decline in crop production due to river erosion. It has resulted in reduced sources of income”.
This is why her husband has started working as a rickshaw puller. The money he earns is not enough to run the expenses. So, their 12-year-old son is training to become a plumber.
In riverine char and coastal areas, either flood sweeps away the crop fields or salinity intrusion impacts the production of crops making the livelihood options scarce.
Keeping a stable source of income is challenging in small islands since they are at constant risk of displacement
©UNDP Bangladesh
Extreme Poverty
Unstable source of income pushes the habitats towards further poverty. Unlike Rangpur Charfesson is a coastal Island. Despite being in two different parts of Bangladesh, the consequences they face from climate change are similar.
Salma Begum is from Charfesson struggling with poverty for generations. Frequent tidal surges since 2015 have destroyed their home and farmland. She tries to work as day labourer but barely earns BDT 5000 (43 USD) a month. When earnings fall short, Salma borrows money from neighbours at high-interest rates, trapping her further in debt and extreme poverty. Despite the challenges, Salma and others dream of a stable, dignified future for her children.
Seasonal Migration
People from low-lying riverine and coastal areas move toward nearby bigger cities in search of work. However, migration often fails to fulfil the economic insufficiency. For example, Razia Begum of Charfesson on lived with her family in Bhola. After a cyclone, they lost their home, and her husband Salam moved to Dhaka to work as a day labourer.
After toiling days as a day labourer the money he earns is neither inadequate to live a life in Dhaka nor enough to run the family in the village. In the end, the family is always struggling to survive.
Frequent Early Marriage
Sahar Banu, a 55-year-old woman living by the Tista River in Rangpur, faced hardship after river erosion claimed their agricultural land, forcing her and her husband to move to Rangpur city for work. Her husband became an autorickshaw driver, and Sahar worked as a domestic help, but a tragic accident left her husband paralyzed, compelling them to return to their village with almost no income.
In the grip of extreme poverty, they felt compelled to marry off their two daughters at an early age, a distressing but increasingly common scenario in their area as families struggle to survive.
Thousands of stories like this comprise the charland and coastal areas. To address the challenges, the Adaptation Fund of $10 million for Bangladesh was approved for the first time to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities here.
The project, titled “Adaptation Initiative for Climate Vulnerable Offshore Small Island and Riverine Charland in Bangladesh,” will be jointly implemented by the Department of Environment (DoE) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Bangladesh's small islands face severe climate challenges. Immediate action is vital to protect these resilient communities and secure their future
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