Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-4, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Assessment of the Impact and Management of Flood, Drought and River Bank Erosion: A Case Study of Char Land Peoples of Gangachara Upazila, Rangpur District, Bangladesh Shakibul Islam Lecturer, Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh Abstract: Bangladesh, due to its geo-physical for the improvement this community in terms of position and socio-economic context, is highly these events. prone to regular natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. Environmental impacts on Key Words: Climate change, Flood, Drought, agriculture damage a large quantity of crop River Bank Erosion, Adaptation, Vulnerability. production. The damages become severe in river side char areas, because these areas are very 1. INTRODUCTION vulnerable to flood and riverbank erosion during monsoon and very arid condition during dry Bangladesh experiences several natural hazards season. Riverine char lands, among other each year owing to its geological location, ecosystems of the country, are considered as topography, weather and climate. Recurrent hotspots for climatic hazards. An integrated flooding, drought, cyclones, river bank erosions, approach which combines traditional knowledge earthquakes, etc. are very common in this country with innovative strategies has been adopted to (Ali, 1996). Third world countries like Bangladesh address current vulnerability while building are the most frequent victims of natural disasters, adaptive capacity to face new and dynamic many of which have a major negative impact on the challenges. The process involves four inter-related society (Torry et al., 1979). Peoples of Bangladesh strategies: promotion of climate-resilient livelihood are directly or indirectly affected by natural strategies, disaster risk reduction strategies, extreme events. Climate change directly influences capacity development for local civil society, and natural hazards (especially flood and drought) advocacy and social mobilization with particular frequency (Mirza, 2007). Flood is a natural focus on gender. In Bangladesh, flood and river common disaster in our country and northern part bank erosion is a very common event and it has of Bangladesh is vulnerable for flooding. Teesta been occurred since 1988 and its process is still river runs alongside this region and meet with the going on. It is characterized with the climatic stress Brahmaputra river. In the monsoon season such as heavy rainfall impacting adversely on the households around the river are inundate and socioeconomic development of this area. The people face tremendous lifestyle for river flood and people of Noali Char, Kolkondo Char and Char heavy rainfall come from Himalayas region. Noali Alambiditor depend on agriculture for their Char, Kolkondo Char and Char Alambiditor of livelihood. This study examines flood, drought and Gangachara upazila under Rangpur district is river bank erosion-induced multiple forms of located along side of Teesta river and here impacts which had been exposed to poor villagers. livelihood is very much dependent on the Teesta This report touches the women roles and explores river. the people’s indigenous survival techniques. The responsible constraints are weak socio-economic Agricultural activities are the key factor for socio- status, adverse climatic consequences, limited low economic condition of Bangladesh. Most of the effective indigenous managements which have been peoples in Bangladesh depend on agro-economy ignored by local leaders and goverenment. A whereas livelihood and life style base on it. Also, negative matter is that without organizational climatic variability and environmental stress on support the villagers run their management agricultural sector is responsible for drought, river procedures in own way. Hopefully this report will bank erosion and flood. The consequences of these be act as a supportive tool as showing hazards accelerate for getting immediate or recommendations to the planners and policy emergency economic and livelihood crisis. makers in formulating micro or macro level policy Northwestern part of Bangladesh, especially Noali Char, Kolkondo Char and Char Alambiditor of Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 96 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-4, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Gangachara upazila is threatened by climatic stress potential safeguarding of their rights and cultural that leads to environmental imbalance condition. heritage (Begom, 2014). So for better realization on this a field study is very important. According to Burgess a field study is a Agriculture is dominant economic activity which is collection of data occurs outside of on experimental the driving force of the Bangladesh economy or lab setting. However, a field study is also called (Mustafi et al., 2008). It is increasingly becoming the collection of information outside of laboratory established in the economic literature that the or work place setting. Also the amount and development of a growing economy depends diversity of the collected data can be invaluable. critically on the development of the agricultural Hence, it is not applicable to the general public. sector (Andriesse et al., 2007 and World Bank, Noali Char, Kolkondo Char and Char Alambiditor 2008). For their survival they practice some coping of Gangachara upazila is located on the side of the strategies to withstand or overcome these natural Teesta River. The abrupt temperature of this area is extremes, especially in agricultural field. For rising and rainfall shortage due to climate change example, homestead gardening is an old practice governs to dryness of the land that cause to drought managed by the women of a family is well adapted impacts. The attitude of this study is to investigate to low soil moisture and high temperature (FAO, the farmer’s perception about agricultural pattern 2008). Local people often use their experience to and production. Most of the lands belong here are predict forthcoming disasters or hazards. plain and alluvial (80%) formed of siltation which is surrounded by rivers. Bangladesh is one of the 2. LITERATURE REVIEW most vulnerable countries to climate change in the world. The country was most at risk because of its The natural disaster and environmental degradation extreme levels of poverty, dependence on arising from the world wide climate change is the most critical and time befitting issue all over the agriculture and its government’s low capacity to adapt to predicted changes, which include a high world. A low lying country with more than 230 risk of drought and flooding. rivers and waterways, Bangladesh is widely regarded as being one of the most vulnerable Around the world, acceleration in population countries due to its disaster prone and odd growth and changes in land use patterns have geographic location, socio-eco-environmental increased human vulnerability to floods. Harmful condition and over population (Hamid, 2009). impacts of floods include direct mortality and Bangladesh is the part of world’s most dynamic morbidity and indirect displacement and hydrological system. Major rivers flowing in the widespread damage of crops, infrastructure and country are in old stage and due to heavy rainfall in property. Every year floods take thousands of lives, the country and in the catchments areas, high leave millions homeless and cause significant loss volume of floodwater flow during the monsoon to properties and infrastructures all over the world. period (Benson et al., 2002). The rivers are huge by global standards, and can inundate over 30% of the land mass at a time. In fact, the country is a tender landmass framed by Bangladesh is prone to serious and chronic three major rivers and fluid landscape. It is also a flooding. Even in an average year 18% of the developing country discharges with numerous landmass is inundated and previous floods have problems of over population, poverty, complex affected 75% of the country (as in 1988). 75% of socio-economic structure, frequent disasters, low the country is below 10m above sea level and 80% level industrial base, and resource constrains, lack is classified as floodplain as Bangladesh is of appropriate infrastructural and institutional facilities, dearth of trained manpower etc. (Hossain principally the delta region of South Asia’s great rivers. Bangladesh floods on a regular basis, recent et al., 2004). As the majority of the people live in notable and catastrophic floods have occurred in the countryside, their livelihoods are directly or 1988 (Ansary et al., 2013). indirectly dependent on the land (BBS, 2003). Therefore, flooding as well as drought jeopardizes Prevent river erosion and save from landlessness the lives and livelihoods of people. because of river erosion. Ensure people’s participation in the governance and development Flood and riverbank erosion are two of the major issues Local resource mobilization and capacity environmental disasters that the country experiences recurrently and an estimated one building process not adequate. Lack of people’s accesses to the health and other useful services of million people are displaced every year due to the service giving institutions in both public and riverbank erosion in the country (Elahi et al., private sector agencies. Low and neglected socio 1990). This adversity is further worsened when the economic condition