Coping Strategies: Towards a Resilient Society

This chapter discusses the various coping strategies to absorb the shocks of bank erosion. The victims have adopted some indigenous measures at the community and individual levels. Besides, hard engineering measures like dyking, embankment, and levees along the river bank based on the principle of civil engineering mainly taken by the government are common in the humid tropics especially the Bengal Delta. Thus, the river training works try to keep the rivers confined within a limited stretch and hence protect against the destruction of human establishments and crops. However, the mighty and furious rivers such as the Padma, and Ganga often breach especially during the monsoon months and these ambitious projects become futile. This chapter intends to critically assess the role of such measures to protect life and livelihood from riverbank erosion. However, observing the limitations of the civil structural measures against bank erosion, alternative measures are being sought. This chapter will hence outline the bio and social engineering measures as the shock absorbing strategy. Bio-engineering measures such as vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) plantation or similar projects have some successes and limitations that would be addressed with field verification. Moreover, social engineering measures aim to the economic alteration from a land-based to a non-land-based economy. Thus, this chapter will highlight the governance and regulation for the management of bank erosion and will also discuss the maintenance measures and responsibility for upkeep, especially from political approaches to resources and environmental decision-making.