Migration and Displacement Triggered by Floods in the Mekong Delta

Abstract

The links between environmental change and migration is a theme which has caused much public debate. This debate is driven partially by the lack of empirical research on the linkages and relationship between environment and migration. This article offers a contribution to the limited literature which examines the ways in which migration is linked to environmental push factors. Initial research into the current dynamics of population displacement and migration linked to flooding in the upper reaches of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta was carried out in late 2007. Annual cyclical flooding in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam is a regular event and essential to the livelihoods of people living in the region. Over the last decade, however, there have been unusually large flooding events in the Mekong Delta region which have adversely impacted the lives and livelihoods of local communities. The research aimed to determine whether flooding could be considered a cause for migration or displacement. Results show that the impacts of regular flooding of the Mekong Delta can trigger independent household or individual migration decisions and are a cause for government-initiated resettlement of households. This research contributes to an increased understanding of the role of environmental change ⁄ degradation in causing displacement and migration, since forced migration and migration studies have more commonly focused on economic, political and social reasons for population displacement.

Adaptation to climate change in the Mekong River Basin: introduction to the special issue

“…The impacts of past floods in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta expose the rural population's lack of access to alternative livelihoods and difficulty in maintaining existing livelihoods. Household debts contribute to the pressure to migrate to urban areas (Dun 2011). Similarly, in and around the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, the impacts of repeated floods have contributed to migration Keskinen et al 2010).…”

The long-term health impacts of repeated flood events

“…Flooding also posed a risk to traditional livelihoods in rural areas [9,11,12,14,15,20]. Dun found that the disruption caused to rice farmers in Vietnam by repeated flooding resulted in the decision to migrate as there was no alternative livelihood [14].…”

“…Dun found that the disruption caused to rice farmers in Vietnam by repeated flooding resulted in the decision to migrate as there was no alternative livelihood [14]. In Vietnam seasonal migration often occurs as a means for flood affected families to boost their income [13,14].…”

“…3.1.1.1 Loss of income, disruption to livelihoods and debt One of the most significant secondary stressors identified in this study was that flooding affected livelihoods and resulted in substantial loss of income [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Reasons for loss of income can include: damage to road infrastructure preventing respondents reaching their workplace or dealing with the damage caused to property [5-10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22].…”

Climate-induced population displacements in a 4 ° C+ world

“…For some people, mobility is an integral part of their livelihood, which allows them to increase, diversify or secure their incomes. Such traditional coping strategies are jeopardized by increased environmental pressure due to climate change [35,36]. As environmental disruptions would be exacerbated with a 4 • C+ temperature increase, mobility might become a less-viable coping strategy.…”