A Study in Tanguar Haor of Sunamganj, Bangladesh
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The Dhaka University Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vol. 8, 2019 Joynal Abedin1* Impacts of Flash Flood on Livelihood and Adaptation Strategies of Hafiza Khatun1 the Haor Inhabitants: A Study in Tanguar Haor of Sunamganj, Bangladesh Manuscript Received: 25 April 2019 Abstract: The study evaluates the impacts relatives. The haor indigent community lives Accepted: 15 November 2019 of flash flood (especially 2017 massive flash with flood, suffers a loss of income and flood) and explores prevailing adaptation living, confronts it with food shortage and strategies taken by haor inhabitants to malnutrition, and survives with the subdue the impact. Primary data were circumstances by bearing considerable debt collected through field visit, questionnaire with high interest rates. This vicious circle of survey, FGD and KII. A purposive random debt, resource loss and poverty act as a sampling method was applied for selecting dynamic force towards their long-lasting 350 households from 10villages located in paucity and vulnerabilities, which curve and around Tanguar Haor. The inhabitants their capability to get ready, take action, of low-lying haor areas are extremely and recuperate from subsequent floods, as vulnerable to flash flood. Their coping well as any other disasters. Government mechanism has been strictly curved by a should formulate combined and effectual number of social, economic, and political haor management and flood management Department of Geography and Environment, factors, leading to vicious circle of debt and policy and implemented suitably to shield University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, poverty to mohajon (money lender) and lives and livelihoods of haor inhabitants. micro credit institution, perennial Bangladesh Keywords: Flash flood, Tanguar Haor, marginalization from haor resources by Adaptation strategies, Livelihood, Women’s *Corresponding author influential groups and subsequent role Email: [email protected] dependency on wealthy neighbors or Introduction local people were readily deprived of resource use immediately after it was declared as country’s second In Bangladesh about two-thirds of the total land is Ramsar site (Kabir and Amin, 2007). classified as wetlands (Nanda et al., 2015) which have been estimated at 7 to 8 million hectares (Rahman et Bangladesh is generally regarded as a vulnerable al., 2001). Wetland includes world heritage sites with country with respect to climate change, especially in paramount values to hydrological, ecological, haor areas because of its unique geographic location biological, zoological or limnological settings (Haque (Rahman et al., 2016). Among the various risks and and Basak, 2017; Blasco and Aizpuru, 1997). Almost disasters, flood is the most recurrent and common 461 different kinds of wetlands are available in phenomenon in Bangladesh (Abedin et al., 2018; Bangladesh (Chakraborty, 2005). Based on elevation Zannat, 2016; Rayhan, 2010) and is considered as one from Mean Sea Level (MSL), lands that are about 7-8 of the prime threats of development (Paul and meters below MSL and are flooded for 7-8 months are Routray, 2010; Younus et al., 2013). Flood is classified as haor (Salauddin and Islam, 2011). Tanguar recognized as one of the distinguished natural Haor is one of the largest wetland systems located in calamities that direct to alter lives and livelihood by the northeast region of Bangladesh (Sobhan et al., damaging agricultural production and ecosystems, 2012) and plays an important role in the economy of increasing water pollution, disrupt communication the country with its natural richness and biodiversity. network and neighboring economy (Islam et al., 2014; Tanguar Haor is not an ecologically diverse ecosystem DeClerk et al., 2006). Each year a flood can inundate but also is very important from socio-economic between 30% and 70% of the country (Agrawala et al., perspectives supporting around 70,000 people 2003). Haor areas of Bangladesh are affected by (Hossain et al., 2017). The haor provides numerous subversive flash flood frequently (Rahman, 2019; functions that not only benefit the local inhabitant but Sumiya et al., 2019). In the haor area the socio- also to those living in downstream. The haor dwellers economic and livelihood condition are much different have been living in this fragile locationfor generations from the other parts of the country (Hossain et al., by exploiting natural resources of the haor but the 2017) and haor flood leads to reduce the farmers 42 Abedin and Khatun economic condition that are totally depend on District (Table 1). The villages were selected based on agriculture (Rahman, 2014). In April 2017, Tanguar physiography, population size, ethnic minority, Haor was affected by subversive flash flood due to proximity to market and 2017 flash flood severity. A heavy rainfall as well as onrush of water from the total of 350 samples were collected based on (equation- upstream Meghalaya hills in India and inundated a 1) (Mathers et al., 2007; Perera et al., 2018). vast areas of croplands of haors as well as low-lying n = (z × σ/E) (1) areas of the Northeast. The flood started on 28th α/ March affecting six districts namely Sylhet, Where n = sample size, Zα/2 = confidence level, σ = Moulavibazar, Sunamganj, Habiganj, Netrokona and standard deviation, and E = error. Kisoreganj in the northeast part of the country. For Key Informant Interview (KII), three key Embankment breeched in many places due to rising informants covering teachers of different educational water spill over and damaged almost ready for institutions, religious leaders, local political leaders, harvesting Boro or IRRI crops in about 160,170 farmers, fulltime and seasonal fisherman and elderly hectares and the loss was estimated to be about people were interviewed from each village to reveal 800,000 tons (DAE, 2017; NRAPAD, 2017). the impacts of recent and retrospective flash floods, However, the present study assesses the impacts of its consequences and people’s adaptation strategies 2017 flash flood and explores existing adaptation regarding the situation based on their respective strategies in pre, during and post flash flood experiences. To find out the detail information of the situations. The study also investigates the sectoral impact of flash flood and their respective effectiveness of the strategy taken by the haor adaptation strategies five individual occupation inhabitants in different flood periods. This study classes were selected for focus group discussion intends to expose ground-level information of flash (FGD). Total ten FGDs were conducted and the flood impact and dynamism of flood and inhabitants surveyed occupation groups were farmer, fisherman, of the low-lying haor area. It is expected that the businessman and day laborer as well as with women outcome of the research will serve as a reference and ethnic minority people. source for researchers, academics, policy maker and Table 1: Sampling Procedures and Methods Followed in the planer for sustainable disaster management Study particularly in haor areas. Step Sampling Description Outcome Techniques Methodology Villages that are located in This research includes both primary and secondary Purposive and around Tanguar Haor Tanguar 1 Random and mostly dependent on it data. Primary data were collected through multiple Haor methods, including field observation, transect walks, Sampling and affected by frequent flash flood questionnaire survey on 350 households, five oral history interview, focus group discussion (FGD) from For household survey ten Purposive villages have been ten different villages, thirty (three from each village) 2 Random selected based on Ten Villages key informant interview (KII). To know the impact of Sampling purposive criteria flash flood on socio-economy of the study area Simple 3 Individual detailed exploratory field investigations were done in Random Household selection between October-November 2018. Before starting Sampling Household data collection, transect walks were conducted both To extract comprehensive Purposive within the village and within haor area to identify haor 4 information on flood, Key Sampling people’s problem with flash flood hazards. consequences and Informants suggestions Household data along with loss assessment and To extract comprehensive Individual Purposive adaptation strategies before, during and after the flash 5 information about issues Occupation Sampling flood were collected through semi-structured of particular occupation Group questionnaire from directly affected ten villages, Secondary data for the research were collected selected through purposive sampling method under two through literature survey and data/materials from upazilas (Dharmapasha and Tahirpur) of Sunamganj concerned offices including Bangladesh Bureau of Impacts of Flash Flood on Livelihood and Adaptation Strategies of the Haor Inhabitants 43 Statistics (BBS), Bangladesh Institute of Development the northern part of the haor system, close to Indian Studies (BIDS), International Union for the border. Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Haor Development Board(HDB), Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and District Administration of Sunamganj. Study Area Tanguar Haor is located in the northeastern part of Bangladesh with coordinates about 25N latitudes and 91E longitudes (Figure1). Geographically it is surrounded by Meghalaya State of India to the north, Netrokona District to the west and south and Patnai and Baulai River to the east. The haor is situated at an altitude