Development of a sustainable livelihood security model for storm-surge hazard in the coastal areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

Coastal communities in Bangladesh are at great risk due to frequent cyclones and cyclone induced stormsurges, which damages inland and marine resource systems. In the present research, seven marginal livelihood groups including Farmers, Fisherman, Fry (shrimp) collectors, Salt farmers, Dry fishers, Forest resource extractors, and Daily wage labourers are identified to be extremely affected by storm-surges in the coastal area of Bangladesh. A livelihood security model was developed to investigate the security status of the coastal livelihood system in a participatory approach. In the model, livelihood security consists of five components: (1) Food, (2) Income, (3) Life & health, (4) House & properties, and (5) Water security. Analytical hierarchy process was followed to assess the livelihood security indicators based on respondents' security options. The model was verified through direct field observation and expert judgment. The Livelihood Security Model yields a Livelihood Security Index which can be used for assessing and comparing the household security level (in %) of different livelihood groups in the storm-surge prone coastal areas. The model was applied with data from two major coastal areas (Cox's Bazar and Satkhira) of Bangladesh and is applicable to other coastal areas having similar settings.

Multi-stakeholder participation for sustainable delta management: a challenge of the socio-technical transformation in the management practices in Bangladesh

“…In Bangladesh socio-economic development is essentially linked with water and the water ecosystem because of its location within the largest delta of the world, encompassing the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems (Jakobsen et al 2005;Mutahara et al 2016;Gain et al 2017a). Shifting from a traditional approach, formal water resources management engineering was introduced in the Bangladesh delta in the 1960s (that time called East-Pakistan), inspired by a global discourse on mega-structural engineering in flood protection and agricultural development particularly by following the Dutch dyke system (Dewan et al 2015;Mutahara et al 2017).…”

“…The delta is itself a complex system however the inter-relationships between social, ecological, and technological resources evolve more dynamics in delta management system transformation (Mutahara et al 2016;Van Staveren et al 2017). In Bangladesh delta, water management interventions are rare to sustain due to multiple conflicts and complexities in social interaction and stakeholder relationships (Haque et al 2015;Mutahara et al 2019).…”

Remodeling Livelihood Vulnerability Indicators for The Informal Food Microentrepreneurs

“…[32] adopted the concept of resilience in the context of a structural framework which resulted in three dimensions of resilience: buffer capacity, self-organization, and capacity for learning. Meanwhile, [33] developed the livelihood security model using five components: food, income, life and health, house and property, and water security. The five components have similarities to the Livelihood Vulnerability Index developed by [34] but lacks climate change variability component.…”

“…At the onset of climate extremes, the literature suggests that sustainable livelihood models be adopted to build the resiliency of vulnerable communities and sectors. [28] SLA framework has been used several times in livelihood studies adopting the five asset pentagon which include natural, physical, financial, social and environmental livelihood capitals [29], [30], [31], [32], [33]. The integration of climate change impacts in the SLA framework has led to the development of livelihood vulnerability index.…”

Integrative Analysis for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, Bangladesh

“…Cyclones and tropical storms regularly make landfall in Bangladesh, typically more than once per year, leading to high winds, extreme sea levels and saltwater flooding (Alam and Dominey-Howes 2015;Mutahara et al 2016). This can damage crops and properties with consequences for life and livelihoods, creating social vulnerability for the study area population.…”