Indicator-Based Assessment of Coping and Adaptive Strategies Against Flood Hazards in Tal and Diara Regions of Malda District, West Bengal (India)

Abstract

Malda district of West Bengal is extremely vulnerable to floods. Yet this district reports high density of population suggesting that the people here must have adopted coping and adaptive strategies to meet the flood menace which is almost an annual affair. This paper addresses and compares the preparedness, coping and adaptive strategies of the local people at household level living in two distinct physiographic units viz. Tal and Diara of Malda. Further, an attempt is made whether the distance from the river plays any role in the coping and adaptive strategy of the villagers. This paper is empirical in nature, primary data has been generated through field investigation in two sets of villages of Tal and Diara, conducted in the month of September and October 2018. Field data has been quantified and measured to assess the level of resilience of the people to flood hazard/disaster. UNDP technique has been used for developing preparedness, coping and adaptive indexes. The score ranges between 0 and 1, where higher the score higher is the level of resilience.