Assessment of Flood Vulnerability of the People Living in Tal and Diara Geomorphic Regions of Malda District, West Bengal

Malda is located at the interfluve of the Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. This district is highly flood-prone, with both geomorphology and anthropogenic activity triggering floods and river bank erosion, leaving the population extremely vulnerable to flood hazards. Malda is divided into three geomorphic units: Tal, Diara, and Barind of which Tal and Diara are particularly prone to flooding. The present chapter attempts to quantify and compare the vulnerability to flood hazards of the local population belonging to different socioeconomic groups residing in the Tal and Diara geomorphic units. Additionally, the chapter investigates whether proximity from the two flood-producing rivers of Tal and Diara, Fulhar and Ganga, influences the degree of vulnerability of the Tal and Diara populations. The study is based on an examination of empirical data obtained through field investigations and focus group discussions in a pair of villages: Maniknagar and Ratua in Tal and Gopalpur and Nurpur in Diara. The study uses a weighted average approach to assess flood vulnerability by applying the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI). The findings suggest the population’s vulnerability varies by location within Tal and Diara, with settlements near major flood-causing rivers being more vulnerable. This chapter is significant as it examines and assesses the vulnerability of people impacted by floods at the grassroots level. This may be used by lawmakers and social scientists to assess vulnerability and lessen the flood hazard of the population living in similar ecological conditions.