Economic Vulnerabilities Induced by Riverbank Erosion

This chapter intends to deal with the economic vulnerabilities and livelihood crises. The economy of the Bengal Delta is still predominantly agro-based. It is inarguably true that the land-based agro-economy is affected by climate and natural hazards. Therefore, agricultural practice concentrated along the river banks due to fertile soil and availability of water is often disrupted by channel migration and bank erosion. The shock of bank erosion is first perceived by the land loss which is discussed at different spatial scales from the national to village level. The field survey within the specific part of the Bengal Delta indicates the marginalization of the agrarian economy. As the land for cultivation is engulfed by the river, farmers face joblessness, a drastic fall in income, an increase in poverty level, and an overall decline in the standard of living. The people in transition (conversion from agro to non-agro) face an extreme level of marginalization and find it difficult to cope with the emerging situation. Some chars (mid-channel bars) developed out of the net accretion over erosion within the nearby stretch have fertility to support agricultural practice. However, others are sand-dominated fragile land that produces a single-season (non-monsoon) crop with lesser productivity. Besides, the threat to transport and infrastructure including dwelling units is also notable in this densely populated tract. People often become homeless and bound to be environmental refugees. Countries like India and Bangladesh report thousands of environmental refugees due to bank erosion almost every year. This chapter thus intends to portray the overall losses, especially in an agrarian setup. The economic base is at the root of most material living. Therefore, the impact of bank erosion and disruption of the rural agrarian base are explored taking seven villages by the creation of sequential buffer areas for a comparative assessment.