BANGLADESH is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change impacts. The major impacts of climate change are, the high frequency of natural disasters (cyclones, floods and tidal surge), sea-level rise and salinity increases in soil and water, which have direct and indirect impacts on reducing the agricultural land or their productivity and biodiversity. This means, climate change has direct impact on the livelihoods as well as food security of the inhabitants of the low lying areas in the country.
Currently, almost 40 million people live in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. With the population of riverine areas included, the affected population would be half of the country's total. Loss of coastal land to the sea in this vulnerable zone is currently predicted to reach up to 3% by the 2030s, 6% in the 2050s and 13% by 2080. This is likely to generate a steady flow of displaced people. Besides, increase in salinity in soil and water already has significant impact on the livelihoods of the coastal people and consequently has resulted in a number of other more insidious problems in the area.
Natural, undisturbed coastlines can help to protect Bangladesh against the impacts of climate change because they act like a buffer, protecting inland areas against climate change impacts such as accelerated erosion, flooding, and damage from storm surge events. Coasts are dynamic and resilient systems, yet human induced changes reduce their natural adaptability and make them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Some of the identified options to manage risks from climate change and adaptation to it are: large scale afforestation, multipurpose coastal and river embankments, planned disaster resilient shelters and community housing. These not only protect people from the impact of cyclone, tidal surge and flood but also provide options for alternative livelihoods.
In addition, investment into natural and local resource based livelihood patterns/options considering different agro-ecological zones, including developing the Sundarbans and Kuakata as tourism spots, developing diverse agricultural production (fruits, crops, livestock products, fish and forestry), preservation and processing industries will support their resilience. These options can enhance the livelihood means of the people while providing structural support to those living in the areas. In line with the present government vision of “Digital Bangladesh”, developing and strengthening transport and communication network will also increase the livelihood options in the climate change impact areas.
Much discussion in TV talk shows, national and regional workshops are taking place in the capital city of Dhaka as well as other cities to combat the climate change impacts. However, what is critical now is to move away from producing “paper and reports” towards investing human, material and financial resources on the issues at the places likely to come under climate change impact. Hence, climate change adaptation strategies, action plans urgently need to be fine-tuned and applied here.
Climate change has already impacted and will affect all areas of development work. This puts population, (particularly in coastal and riverine areas, at huge risk of becoming displaced. Hence comprehensive risk reduction plans (structural and non-structural disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation policies), preparedness plans and, accordingly, actions should get importance in the public planning and resource allocation processes. Comprehensive disaster management approaches hence need to be integrated into all existing programmes, projects and activities and also into future programmes.
Analyzing or assessing the community risks, and developing the risk reduction strategies/options are the priority tasks. Accordingly public service sectors should make their plans, programmes, projects, where both public and private resources need to be allocated to the communities at risk so that the end users (climate change affected people and communities) may secure their means of livelihood assets. Hence, bottom up planning to reduce the risk of people and accordingly public resource allocation can enhance their access to resources. Increased attention and funding to support disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation initiatives would thus enable the communities to cope with the shocks and stresses and to sustain their livelihoods and remain on their land.
Writer
salimmi2001@yahoo.co.uk
DS, Aug 29, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment