Wetland-Community Resilience to Flash Flood Hazards (Bonna) in Sunamganj District, Bangladesh
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i Wetland-community resilience to flash flood hazards (Bonna) in Sunamganj district, Bangladesh By Mahed-Ul-Islam Choudhury A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of MASTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources Natural Resources Institute University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright ©2015 by Mahed-Ul-Islam Choudhury ii Abstract The purpose of this thesis research was to understand the recovery and resilience of wetland- community to flash flood disasters and its associated risks in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh. I conducted my study using a case study approach following an interdisciplinary research paradigm. It was found that wetland-community is extremely vulnerable to flash flood hazards - both in biophysical and social terms. However, they possess certain coping thresholds, and are resilient to disaster losses. The adaptive capacity of the local communities has been severely curbed by a number of socio-ecological, economic, and political factors, leading to natural resource degradation, marginalization and exclusion of the poor from common pool resources by powerful groups. Response capacities of local institutions were severely constrained by their limited relative autonomy. For building resilience, i) effective management and access of the poor to natural resources, and ii) enhancing autonomy of local institutions are required. iii Acknowledgement I take this opportunity to acknowledge all the supports I received from different individuals and institutions during the course of my thesis research. Without the support and cooperation from so many people and institutions this research would have not been possible. First, I acknowledge the support and cooperation of the community people. They spontaneously participated in the research process. They were always willing to share their thoughts and experience with me. They spent their valuable time in this research. Among the community people I specially acknowledge the help of Ghani Ansari, the chairman, members, and secretary (Mira Chanda) of the Fotehpur Union. I greatly indebted to two of my assistants: Jakir Hussain and Ohidur Zaman (Pintu) for their support throughout my fieldwork. As a community member, Jakir Hussain helped me getting some of the deeper insights of the lives of community people. He made some of the subtle issues clearer to me. Pintu’s help and company were very helpful to keep the pace of the fieldwork, which eventually helped me to complete my fieldwork within the time- frame. I deeply acknowledge the support I received from different government and non- government institutions in Bangladesh, such as Water Development Board (WDB), Centre for Natural Resources Studies (CNRS), and Bishwambarpur UNO office, Fishery office, Agriculture office, Sunamganj LGED office, PIO office, VARD, ASD, JESIS. Special thanks to north-eastern measurement division and Sunamganj office of WDB. I received considerable amount of help from Sunamganj office (Notun Para) of CNRS. Special thanks to M. Anisul Islam (Director, CNRS), Mohammad Shafiqul Islam (SFRS Project, CNRS), Jane Alam (Caretaker, CNRS dormitory). During my stay in Bishwambarpur Upazila, the iv cooperation from the UNO (Khandakar Muhammad Abdullah Al Mahmud), fishery officer, agriculture officer, project implementation officer was tremendous. I acknowledge the support from my friends and colleagues. Special thanks to Koysul Alam, and Khandakar Hasan Mahmud for helping me finalize the maps and figures for my thesis. I also thank A.K.M. Shahidullah, and Mohammed Salim Uddin for their encouragement. My teachers and colleagues at my home university (Shahjalal University of Science and Technology) always encouraged me. I am greatly indebted to my home university for granting me necessary study leave to complete the degree. My supervisor Professor C. Emdad Haque has been a great mentor for me over the last two years. His guidance and conceptual inputs made my journey easier. He funded my thesis fieldwork and overall studies during my stay in Canada from SSHRC Insight Grants. Thanks! My thesis committee members were Professor Fikret Berkes, Dr. Faisal Islam, and Dr. Prateep Nayak (University of Waterloo) who gave me necessary guidance and conceptual inputs for my thesis. I also thank to Tammy, Dalia, Shanon, Jason for their continuous support. Finally, my wife (Shimi) and my two sons (Mahza and Mustahsan) have sacrificed a lot. This thesis would have not been possible without the inspiration and support from my wife. I missed my two sons very much during my stay in Canada and I have deprived them a lot. My mother, brothers and sister, they always kept me in their prayers. My late father would have been happy to see me doing a master degree from Canada; I dedicate this thesis to him. Mahed-Ul-Islam Choudhury Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba 08/28/2015 v DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my late father Mahfuz-Ul-Islam Choudhury vi Table of Contents List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………………ix List of Figures ………………………………………………………………………………..xi List of Boxes …………………………………………………………………………………xi List of Maps ………………………………………………………………………………….xi List of Plates ………………………………………………………………………………….xi Acronyms ……………………………………………………………………………………xii Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………….. xiv Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background and context ………………………………………………………………...1 1.2 Research problem and justification……………………………………………………..6 1.3 Purpose and objectives of the research…………………………………………………8 1.4 Research significance…………………………………………………………………….8 1.5 Organization of thesis……………………………………………………………………9 Chapter Two: Methodology 2.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..11 2.2 Philosophical approaches……………………………………………………………….11 2.3 Strategy of Inquiry: Use of Case Study Approach……………………………………13 2.4 Study area……………………………………………………………………………….14 2.5 Research scope 2.5.1 Criteria and selection of study villages………………………………………...17 2.5.2 Conducting household survey…………………………...……………………..20 2.6 Data Collection Procedure: Uses of PRA tools…..……………………………………20 2.6.1 Interview methods……………………………………………………………...21 2.6.2 Group methods…………………………………………………………………24 2.7 Secondary data sources…………………………………………………………………30 2.8 Techniques for data recording and analysis…………………………………………..31 2.9 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….32 vii Chapter Three: vulnerability, recovery from flash flood disasters and the role of human agency: The case of a wetland-community 3.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..33 3.2 Vulnerability to extreme environmental events, floods disaster recovery and community resilience…………………………………………………..……………………34 3.3 Human agency, response to flash flood hazards, and community resilience……………………………………………………………………………………..36 3.4 The wetland-community 3.4.1 Defining and delineating the boundary of community…………………………39 3.4.2 Profile of study villages and villagers a. Description of Fotehpur Union and selected villages…..………..….……44 b. Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents ………………………47 3.5 Community vulnerability to flash flood hazards 3.5.1 Temporal (inter-annual and seasonal) variability and differential impact: Climate Change and increased risk ………………………………………………..51 3.5.2 Loss and/or damage due to past big flash flood disasters ……………………..59 3.5.3 Survival against flash flood disasters: A lifelong struggle……………..………64 3.6 Recovery strategies from flash flood disasters: household level and community level 3.6.1 Strategies taken at household level…………………………………………….70 3.6.2 Strategies taken at community level……………………………………………72 3.7 Living with flash floods hazard: Understanding the role of human agency………...73 a. Understanding individuals’ response to flash flood hazard…………………...74 b. Understanding community response to flash flood hazard…………………….79 3.8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….81 Chapter Four: Wetland-social-ecological system dynamics 4.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..82 4.2 Resilience thinking discourse and social-ecological system…………………………..83 viii 4.2.1 Natural resources degradation and the erosion of wetland-social-ecological system resilience……………………………………………………………………...86 4.2.2 Flash floods and wetland ecosystem…………………………………………...92 4.3 Power dynamics and social-ecological system resilience …………………………….97 4.4 An overview of social structure of wetland-community: Power and politics……...100 4.5 ‘Fishing is power’: Marginalization from common pool resources………………...102 4.5.1 Jalmohal leasing policy and violation of customary rights…………………...103 4.5.2 Social-ecological network and marginalization process……………………...108 4.6 Peasants’ struggle against multiple actors and challenges in loss recovery………..114 4.6.1 Struggle against local power dynamics……………………………………….115 4.6.2 Government policy and politics a. Struggle over control of water: Whose water?..........................................122 b. Problems with government measures…………………………………….126 4.7 Household strategies to diversify livelihood options…………………………….......127 4.8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...133 Chapter Five: Multilevel institutional interfaces in disaster response and recovery process 5.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………134 5.2 Resilience and self-organization………………………………………………………135 5.3 Positioning transformation in institutional settings…………………………………137 5.4 Institutional shift in disaster management in Bangladesh…………………………..139