International Journal of Policy Studies Vol.6, No.1, 2015 Char-Lands Development Policies for Settlement and Livelihoods Sustainability in the Ganges-Padma River Basin in Bangladesh: A Case Analysis Shafi Noor Islam Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany Abstract The char-lands are highly vulnerable to natural disasters in the Ganges-Padma River basin. Over 12 million char dwellers are affected by annual floods, erosion and struggling against livelihoods sustainability and stability of settlements location. The newly emerged land in the river channel is called char-land or diara. Purba Khas Bandarkhola Mouza (Seat 3) of Char-Janajat is a unique char which is located in the Ganges-Padma River channel where over 3000 people are affected. The settlements and people of the char-lands are under threat due to floods which have exerted a greater impact on culture, society and local economy. The six livelihood assets (human capital, natural capital, financial capital, physical capital, political capital and social capital) have been considered in char-land development approach, but this study found that culture, heritage and cultural identity could be included with the other six assets of char-lands livelihoods sustainability. The study found that the important issues such as socio-economy, livelihoods and their resilient to the impacts of flood and erosion hazards. This is necessary to control or adapt the vulnerabilities through developmental strategic policies implementation. The objective of this study is to develop an integrated framework and policies for settlement and livelihoods sustainability in the Ganges-Padma River basin in Bangladesh. Key Words: Char-Land, Development, Livelihoods, Policies, Settlement and Sustainability. INTRODUCTION Bangladesh is a deltaic region allowing some of major rivers such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) flowing through it (Bormudoi et al., 2011). The GBM basins stretch over five countries like China, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh (Hoper, 1989). The drainage area of the combined basins is about 1.76 million ㎢ of which about 0.79 ㎢ is arable and 79.7% lie in India, 13.0% in Nepal, 4.3% in Bangladesh and the rest in China (Hooper, 2001; Mondal, 2011).Most of the rainfall (80%) in the GBM region occurs during the summer monsoon prevailing from June to October (Haq, 1981; Anwar, 1988). The entire Himalayan belt experiences 2 Shafi Noor Islam snowfall during the winter as a result of the western depressions, the intensity declining from west to east, which is the reverse of the monsoon pattern (Ahmed et al., 1994). A total average runoff of 1281400 Mm³ flows through Bangladesh every year and debouches into the Bay of Bengal (Haq, 1981; Mofizuddin, 1992; Haque and Zaman, 1994; Haque, 1997). The cause of floods in Bangladesh is a consequence of monsoon precipitation in the GBM catchments; snow and glacial ice melt with monsoon rain in the Himalayas and runoff generated by heavy local rainfall (Islam, 1995). The estimated total discharge is 1,369,000 m³ per annum of which more than 90% originated from outside the country which is making massive floods in Bangladesh (Alexander, 1993; FAP 21, 1993). There are no systematic records of annual floods available until the 20th century, including 1987 and 1988, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2008. The recent flooded land area was increased from 35 % in 1974 to 71 % in 2004, comparing to the flooded land area in 1954 (Islam, 1995; Ahmed and Falk, 2008). During the flooding period, suspended sediment load reached as high as 13 million tons per day. These suspended sediments formed new lands in the river channels. (Coleman, 1969; Kelly and Chowdhury, 2002). The newly formed sand bars and landmasses are locally known as ‘char or diara’ in the Bengali term are settled upon by people of both banks as new settlement frontiers and remain sources of perennial dispute among conflicting claimants (Zaman, 1989; Baqee, 1993; 1998; Schmuck, 2001). While erosion removes land, new lands re-emerge occasionally form river beds in the midst of the river channels where they did not exist before (Hutton, 2003). Extensive char areas have been created along the bed or basin of big rivers Jamuna, Padma and Meghna (Smith, 1996). In Bangladesh the char-lands of the three main rivers the Jamuna-Brahmaputra, Ganges-Padma and Meghna cover some 8, 450 ㎢ (6% of the total land area) with a population 6 million in 1992-93 (FAP 16/19, 1994a) and presently this char population has increased in 12 million which is covering 11% (MoWR, 2000; Thompson & Tod, 1998; Islam et al., 2010; Arifur et al., 2011). This new land is fertile and a valuable natural resource (Baqee, 1993). The char-land landscapes are of great importance for its exceptional hydro-geological setting (Sarker, 2008). The physical characteristics of the geographic location, the rivers morphology and the monsoon climate render the char-lands highly vulnerable to natural disasters (Coleman, 1969; Baqee, 1986; 1998). The Ganges-Padma is a meandering river and is highly affected by river bank erosion and accretion in the channel (Islam and Islam, 1985; Baqee, 1993; 1998; Sarker, 2008). It has been estimated that between 2000 to 3000 km of river bank-line experienced major annual erosion (Islam and Islam, 1985). It has been revealed that the braided channels of the main rivers are on average widening and shifting. With the result of that an estimated 87,000 ha of land were lost to Char-Lands Development Policies for Settlement and Livelihoods Sustainability in the Ganges-Padma River Basin in Bangladeshs 3 bank erosion along these three rivers during the decade up to 1993, while some 50,000 ha of land accreted (FAP 16/19, 1994a). An estimated 728,000 people were displaced by river bank erosion during this period, and many more people living on mid-channel islands had to move as the configuration of islands continually changed (Alam, 1989; Thompson and Sultana, 1996; Thompson & Tod, 1998). The sediments carried by the rivers have aggraded the river beds having negative impacts on the floodplain and the char-lands (Baqee, 1993; 1998). The Purba Khas Bandarkhola Mouza (Seat no 3) of Char-Janajat union is part of the Ganges active delta and is located in the main channel of the Ganges-Padma River (Islam, 2000). The Char-Janajat Island (bar) is inundated and eroded by monsoon floods every year, and in consequence people have to relocate their settlements and move from one place to another (Islam, 2000). The char people have to relocate because of the frequent massive floods and trends of river bank and char-land erosion (Baqee, 1993). Millions of people live on the river banks and newly accreted land along the rivers of Bangladesh (Lein, 2000). Life in the char-land is undoubtedly a very special way of life. The char-land is regular subject to floods, massive erosion, char landslide and drought. The living in the char-land is a risky and vulnerable (Lein, 2000). The char is only accessible by country boat and people have to cross the channel to get the large hat (Bazar) which lies in the main land in Sibchar sadar upazila (Lein, 2000; Hutton and Haque, 2003). Their dwellers are displaced from the char and return to the native char when new land emerges in the river channel (Baqee, 1993; Islam, 2000). The relocation distance of the char settlement in this mouza is about 12 km range on average. The interval of displacement is about 5 years at the Purba Khas Bandarkhola Mauza. The main source of livelihoods in Purba Khas Bandarkhola mouza (Seat 3) is agriculture and land cultivation (Islam, 2000). The sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) is a way to improve understanding of the livelihoods of the poor people as well as for the char- people. The SLA draws on the main factors that affect poor people’s livelihoods and the typical relationships between these factors (Morse et al., 2013). It can be used in planning new development activities like char-land settlement stability plan and char poor people livelihoods sustainability actions. The two major components of the SLA can be recognized like; ･ A framework that helps in understanding the complexities of poverty in a particular area. ･ A set of principles to guide action to address and overcome poverty (Morse et al., 2013). A major portion of char inhabitants are involved in crop sharecropping, agriculture labours, 4 Shafi Noor Islam operation boats and fishing (Hassan et al., 1999; Hasan et al., 1999). Fishing and rearing animals are also an important additional source of income and food security for many char households in Char-Janajat union. Access to land is an issue in the char community and violent conflicts over newly emerging char-lands often involving fighting (Zaman, 1989; 1991; Baqee, 1998). The char-land erosion, rural livelihoods and cyclic displacement of people are subject to floods occurrence and erosion at the Purba Khas Bandarkhola Mouza of Char-Janajat union (Islam, 2000; Islam, 2010; Islam et al., 2010). The outcome of this study could be an important contribution to prepare a national char-land development policy framework in Bangladesh. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The main objective of this study is to demonstrate ways to build on people’s indigenous knowledge and livelihood capital and to show how resource conserving practices can lead to improve productivity and environmental stability of char-lands in the Padma River channel. Further to make policies for livelihoods and settlement sustainablity in the Char-Lands of the Padma River basin in the Ganges Delta in Bangladesh. The specific objectives are as follows; ⅰ. To analysis the present floods-erosion and impacts on char-lands as well as settlement dislocation pattern and ensure its stability in the river channels in Bangladesh.