Climate Migration in Bangladesh: “We Don’t Know Where to Go Next...”

‘The waves of Cyclone Sitrang have taken away all the property we earned in our entire life. Our fishing nets and boats have been washed away. Our income has stopped. We are living in huts on the embankment. We don’t know where we will take our children,’ said Jochna Rani Jaldas, 42, speaking about her suffering after losing everything in the cyclone.

Jochna Rani stood on the embankment in the Patenga area of Chittagong, Bangladesh, describing her ordeal after the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Sitrang. Many other families affected by the cyclone had also taken shelter on the embankment at that time. After losing their homes, they were living temporarily on the embankment slope. The waves of the sea pounded the shore. In the evening, some fishermen went out to sea, while others had just returned after fishing. Jochna Rani’s family, however, was still unable to recover from their losses and prepare for fishing again. The crisis had gripped them even harder as their income remained at a standstill. The cyclone had left the fishing village paralysed, its fishermen’s dreams buried under the rubble.

Like Jochna Rani, more than 300 fishing families in the Patenga area of Chittagong, Bangladesh, live with the risk of extreme crisis. Not only during 2022’s Cyclone Sitrang, but also in many other disasters before, these fishing families lost everything. They have returned to earning income by coping with the crisis in various ways. The fishing families living in Patenga, including Jochna Rani’s, are climate migrants. These families were forced to come to Chittagong city to earn a living more than 30 years ago. Facing frequent natural disasters, they were forced to take refuge in a city about 100 kilometres away from their native Sarikait village on the island of Sandwip. Not only fishermen but also residents of the coastal islands of Sandwip, which are eroding due to the rise in sea level, have been displaced and relocated. The lives and livelihoods of small communities living in the coastal areas of Bangladesh are increasingly at risk. This risk is increasing rapidly as the level of natural hazards increases due to the impact of climate change. They move from one place to another for safe shelter and livelihood. But even there, they are facing new crises. The coastal Jandas community, which depends on fishing, is one such community. Various research sources say that the population of this community in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, especially in the Chittagong region, is over 500,000.

Rafiqul Islam Montu is an award-winning investigative journalist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, specialising in climate, environment, coastal issues, and humanitarian reporting. A pioneer in coastal journalism, he has extensively covered the challenges and resilience of communities in Bangladesh’s 16 coastal districts. His work highlights the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, and governance on coastal populations.

The Number of Climate Migrants is Increasing

The Climate Reality Project defines climate migration as, ‘When a person or groups of people are forced or choose to leave their homes, temporarily or permanently, largely because of sudden- or slow-onset (more below) changes in their regional environment due to the climate crisis, it is considered climate migration. This movement can happen within a state or across an international border.’

The Climate Reality Project also says, ‘So when we’re talking about climate migrants, we’re talking about people who leave their homes specifically due to climate stressors like changing rainfall patterns and heavy flooding, sea-level rise, and more frequent and powerful floods and hurricanes.’

Another definition of climate migrants says, ‘Climate migrants are people who are forced to move due to climate-related events, such as cyclones, floods, and sea-level rise.’ However, there is much debate about the definition of climate migrants. In many cases, climate change is accompanied by human-made factors. As a result, we cannot attribute all displacement events to climate-related causes. Still, we cannot deny the increase in displacement, and displaced people are living in extreme hardship.

In 1992, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that ‘the most severe impact of climate change could be on human migration, with millions of people displaced by coastal erosion, coastal flooding and severe droughts.’ This long-standing prediction of the IPCC has now become a reality. In recent years, many people have been displaced every year due to natural disasters. Displaced people in the coastal areas of Bangladesh seek refuge in the country’s major cities for livelihood and residence. The number of migrants in Chittagong city is high. The list includes the names of Jochna Rani, Kalpana Rani, Nikhil Jaldas, Kishore Jaldas, Tejendra Jaldas and many others. The list is getting longer. The number of people displaced due to natural hazards is increasing not only on the east coast, but also throughout the coastal areas of Bangladesh.

The southwest coast of Bangladesh is facing multiple crises due to the impact of climate change. Frequent cyclones have put the area at risk. Cyclone Sidr in 2007, Cyclone Aila in 2009, Cyclone Fani and Cyclone Bulbul in 2019, Cyclone Amphan in 2020, Cyclone Yaas in 2021, and many more natural hazards have affected the people of the southwest coast of Bangladesh.

Not only has the southwest coast been affected, but climate change has also impacted different areas of Bangladesh. In seven years, at least 1,053 people have died and 9.4 million have been internally displaced due to various climate-related disasters in 58 districts of Bangladesh. The study found that the country has faced economic losses of $4,120 million due to disasters, including seasonal floods, flash floods, river erosion, cyclones, storm surges, and landslides. The study was conducted by Start Fund Bangladesh (SFB), a civil society-led network of 45 NGOs working in Bangladesh since 2017, analysing data on all major natural disasters from 2014 to 2020. The Ministry of Disaster Management supported SFB in conducting the research.

Frequent cyclones, tidal waves, and rising sea levels along the coast of Bangladesh have forced many people to relocate over the past two decades. According to the Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021 by the Swiss-based organisation Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), 4.443 million people were displaced in Bangladesh in 2020. Almost all of them were refugees due to natural disasters. The number of displaced people is expected to increase significantly due to climate change in the future. The World Bank’s updated Groundswell report says that more than 210 million people worldwide could be displaced by 2050 due to the impact of climate change. Of these, more than 40 million people are in the South Asia region. In South Asia alone, 19.9 million people are estimated to be displaced.

May and June 2022 clearly showed the world why Bangladesh is one of the top seven countries most vulnerable to climate change. During those two months, the northeastern region of Bangladesh was hit by heavy monsoon rains and flash floods. Monsoons are a common occurrence in Bangladesh, but last year’s heavy monsoon rains and flash floods were the worst in 122 years. The monsoon rains left much of northeastern Bangladesh underwater. More than 7 million residents were affected and nearly 500,000 were displaced from their homes.

Recent research by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shows that from 1960 to 2022, the rate of climate-related disasters in Bangladesh almost doubled, from an average of four events per year before 1990 to seven events per year after 1990. The economic cost of climate-related damage has almost quadrupled, from an average of US$145.64 million annually (1960-1990) to US$557.53 million (1991-2022).

Climate Migrants in Cities Face New Climate Risks

Noorjahan Begum, 60, sat on a plastic chair in front of her house in a densely populated colony on the banks of the Karnaphuli River. More than half of the chair was submerged under water. The sun’s rays shone on Noorjahan’s tired face. Noorjahan’s eyes were on the tidal water, which remained in front of her house until the end of the day. Noorjahan and thousands of other families in the colony were trapped in the tidal water for about five hours.

Looking at the tidal water in front of her house in the colony, Noorjahan remembered the day when her own house was swept away by a cyclone with a 5-metre-high wave. One of the largest cyclones to hit the coast of Bangladesh was on April 29, 1991. At that time, Noorjahan’s house was on the banks of the Meghna River in Daulatkhan Upazila of Bhola, an island district on the coast of Bangladesh. Noorjahan fought against natural disasters for a long time in her life. After her husband died, her struggle with three children became even more difficult. Due to the impact of natural disasters, Noorjahan Begum shifted her house 22 times in her life. After losing all her property,

Noorjahan took refuge in this Bhera Market Colony in Chittagong city, 104 kilometres away from her lost home ten years ago. But even in this city, this woman has to worry about living safely. The entire colony becomes submerged in tidal water.

The days of high tide change the daily schedule of all the people in this colony, including Noorjahan. They have to complete all their work before the tidal water enters the house. During the tide (4-5 hours), everyone has to stay indoors. This colony named Bhera Market is in Ward No. 35 of Chittagong city. The Karnaphuli River flows next to the colony. The sea is only 16 kilometres away from this point of the river. Tide water from the sea enters the city canals through the Karnaphuli River. As a result, various areas of the city are flooded.

Not only the Bhera Market Colony, but more than half of the city of Chittagong is being flooded by tidal water. A survey by the Public Works Department, a government agency in Bangladesh, says that about 69 percent of the city’s area is now more or less submerged in tidal water. According to another study, about 18 percent of the city’s area is more severely affected by tidal water. Residents affected by the city’s tides said that the flooded area has been increasing every year.

The latest picture of Chittagong city’s high tide is very similar to the findings of a study published in Geophysical Research Letters in April this year. The study says that between 2015 and 2020, land in Chittagong, the second-largest city in Bangladesh, decreased by 2.39 centimetres per year, which has increased the likelihood of flooding about seven times faster than the average rise in sea level. The study says that several Asian coastal cities, including Chittagong in Bangladesh, are sinking faster than the rate of sea-level rise.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sea levels have been rising by about three millimetres per year since 1993. Chittagong and other coastal cities are becoming vulnerable to climate migrants due to rising sea levels.
Like Noorjahan Begum, many other climate migrants have come to Chittagong city and are facing new climate risks. Millions of people from different parts of Bangladesh’s coast have come to Chittagong in the past few decades in search of a livelihood. Most of them have lost their homes and all their belongings due to cyclones, river erosion, or tidal waves. They considered the commercial city of Chittagong a safe place to live and earn a livelihood. But here too they have to face natural disasters. Many families in this city have been forced to relocate repeatedly in the past few years. Many families live in high-rise areas of the city during the monsoon, paying high rents. After the monsoon, they move back to low-rise areas of the city for lower rents.

Mohammad Shahjahan, 60, works as a labourer in Chittagong city. He came to the city in search of work when he was just 20 years old. His home was in Dakshin Syedpur village in the coastal Bhola district. As a child, Shahjahan saw his father lose all his property. Their home had to be relocated seven times due to the erosion of the Meghna River. His father’s house has long since been swallowed by the Meghna River. Both Shahjahan and his father once considered Chittagong a safe place to make a living. But now, Shahjahan worries about whether he will be able to continue living in the city.

Major Areas of Climate Migration on the Coast

Many people are displaced from the coast of Bangladesh every year due to the impact of climate change. Natural hazards such as cyclones, salinity, high tides, river erosion, floods, and landslides are the main causes of displacement. These natural hazards are gradually increasing on the coast of Bangladesh. On the other hand, many are moving elsewhere for their livelihood due to the reduction in opportunities for extracting natural resources. For example, the decline of fish in rivers and seas and obstacles to extracting resources in the Sundarbans. One area facing an extreme crisis due to the impact of climate change is Bangladesh’s coast, which is the focus of this discussion. As a frontline climate-affected country, Bangladesh is significantly impacted by climate change. Many people on Bangladesh’s coast are forced to migrate under unusual circumstances.

Climate migrants in Bangladesh live in crisis. Their struggle for life becomes more difficult. They cannot live properly even if they cross the borders of the country to another country. The crisis is passed down from generation to generation. Women are at the forefront of these crises. I have learned about the crises of climate migrants by following their routes. These people are often forced to leave their homes due to natural disasters. Their final destination is the slum areas of the country’s major cities, Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, and Barisal. But climate migrants live a very inhuman life in the slums. The slums of the country’s major cities are also now facing climate risks. Cyclones, waterlogging, high tides, and heavy rains affect climate migrants in the cities. For example, many people from different parts of Bangladesh’s coast moved to Chittagong city to work and live. But due to the impact of high tides, those people are now facing new risks. Many people from the southwestern coast of Bangladesh have lost everything in natural disasters and have gone to neighbouring India for their lives and livelihood. Some of them return home after working for a short time, while many settle with their families in different parts of India. Many such people live in the slums of Kolkata.

People living in the coastal areas face new natural hazards every year. The impact of sea level rise is affecting people’s lives and livelihoods. The tidal water level during monsoon has increased significantly over the past few years. Millions of people living on islands outside the embankment are worried about their future lives. Cyclones, salinity, and river erosion are severely affecting people’s lives. Natural hazards disrupt the rhythm of their daily lives. After a disaster, a new struggle begins in the lives of coastal people. Disasters make their struggle for life more difficult. People face multifaceted dangers to sustain their lives after a disaster. They are trapped in a debt trap. Life becomes critical. Many are forced to move to major cities for life and livelihood. Many families are displaced and take refuge in their own areas, districts or upazilas (sub-districts). Because, at that time, secure housing and livelihood opportunities are the most critical needs for displaced people. Climate displaced people are in crisis everywhere. Even in big cities, their daily lives are not secure. Displaced people also live in risky areas in Dhaka, Chittagong or Khulna cities. Recently, their living conditions in cities have deteriorated. Even in cities, they are changing places frequently. The problem is more complicated in the case of indigenous people or small communities on the coast. Climate migrants living in cities want to return to their villages. But they do not have the resources to return to their villages.

A joint study by Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra and Change Initiative found that about 50% of people living in Dhaka’s slums have taken refuge from climate-induced cyclone-prone Barisal, Noakhali, Bhola, Khulna and Satkhira alone, having lost their homes and livelihoods. About 93% of people have lost their livelihoods and 52% have taken refuge in Dhaka’s slums. The number of these people is increasing at an alarming rate. The study says that only 10% of people who come to Dhaka find formal jobs. The rest are living a low-quality life.
Zakir Hossain Khan, Executive Director of Change Initiative and Climate Finance Analyst, said, ‘For the welfare and rehabilitation of people displaced by climate change, compact townships must be created in coastal cities in a planned manner. For this, an area-based plan must be implemented by formulating a strategy quickly. Capacity-based training must be provided in this plan, considering the capabilities and needs of the vulnerable population.’

Disasters force people to cross borders

‘I have lost time and again to natural disasters. I was forced to cross the border to India after Cyclone Aila in 2009 to make a living. After returning from India, I lost everything in Cyclone Amphan in 2020,’ said Faruk Hossain. His home is in Kurikahunia village, Pratapnagar union, Ashashuni upazila, Satkhira district, on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh. Disasters have turned Faruk Hossain’s life upside down. He has faced many disasters since childhood. In 2009, Cyclone Aila hit the family he had built. It left him completely destitute. After the damage caused by Cyclone Aila, Faruk Hossain was forced to leave the country and move to neighbouring India. He and his family lived in a slum there. He did various kinds of work, starting from collecting paper on the street to earn a living. After staying there for several years, various kinds of problems arose. Faruk Hossain returned to the country. With the money he had saved, he built a house on his own land in Kurikahunia village. But Faruk Hossain lost all his property in Cyclone Amphan and Cyclone Yaas in 2020. His family’s crisis has worsened more than ever.

This reporter has learned about their crisis by speaking with many families, including Faruk Hossain’s. Sources from families migrating to India for livelihood stated that many low-income families in different parts of India crossed the Bangladesh-India border at various times due to natural disasters. Most of them migrated to India for work after Cyclone Aila in 2009. Some migrated with their entire families, while others move seasonally for work and then return to Bangladesh. These migrants from Bangladesh are engaged in various jobs in India, such as harvesting paddy, planting paddy, making bricks, cleaning houses, and collecting paper on the streets.

This reporter, after investigating villages near the Sundarbans on the southwest coast of Bangladesh, found that many families are displaced every year due to natural disasters. A large portion of them migrate to India for work, while many others move to major cities within the country. Families stated that they migrate to India because of greater earning opportunities there. According to information provided by the chairmen of seven union councils in Koyra Upazila of Khulna district, 16,000 families have left their villages from different areas of the upazila in the past 10 years. The situation is similar in other affected upazilas along the southwest coast of Bangladesh.

Limited Opportunities for Climate Migrants

Many policies have been made in Bangladesh to address the impacts of climate change. Recently, a climate adaptation plan has been finalised. But a lot of money is needed to implement this plan. Government and non-government aid does not reach most people. Emergency aid initiatives are more visible after major disasters. But there is very little help for the long-term rehabilitation of the affected people. The Bangladesh government implements shelter projects with its own funds. There are various problems in implementing these projects. Many shelter projects have been implemented in climate-risk areas. Many shelter projects are damaged by natural disasters. In the case of migration, climate migrants mainly look for a place to live and earn a living. They look for an employment opportunity. Government shelter projects do not have that opportunity. For these reasons, displaced people are not encouraged to live there. Government opportunities do not reach real climate migrants. Even after cyclones, displaced people are deprived of emergency relief aid as they move elsewhere. Most people affected by natural disasters findtheir livelihoods and places to live on their own. The benefits of government initiatives do not reach real climate migrants.

Climate-resilient cities can provide solutions Mongla, a city in Bagerhat district on the southwestern coast of Bangladesh, has come under a climate-resilient urban plan to accommodate climate migrants. Investments are being made in marine drive roads and other climate-resilient adaptive infrastructure. Previously, the city was regularly flooded by high tides. But now the city does not receive salt water. The city is surrounded by the walls of the World Heritage Mangrove Sundarbans. As a result, the city is immune to the major impact of cyclones. The Sundarbans protected the city from the impact of the 2007 cyclone and the 2009 cyclone Aila.
Mongla has provided work opportunities for climate-displaced people. The Export Processing Zone (EPZ) here has created job opportunities for many workers. The opening of the Padma Bridge has made Mongla’s connection with Dhaka easier. Mongla is being connected to Dhaka through a train line. Air lines are being launched. Dredging of the Pashur River is being done to increase shipping facilities at Mongla Port. Affordable housing, schools and hospitals are available along with government services. As a result, Mongla city will become a bigger job site in the future.

The ex-Mayor of Mongla Municipality, Zulfiqar Ali, held this position for almost ten years. He was in charge until February this year. Zulfiqar Ali said, ‘People used to have to leave Mongla in search of work. Now they have greater business and employment opportunities in the port, EPZ, various industries, and related sectors. As a result, people from different areas are coming here. They are staying here because of the better living conditions. The drainage system and roads of the city have already been modernised to ensure the living facilities of the people here. In the next five years, Mongla will be a regional economic hub. Rapid industrialisation here will provide accommodation for thousands of potential migrants.’

‘We are working to make Mongla a climate-resilient city,’ said Sheikh Abdur Rahman, the current mayor of Mongla Municipality. ‘At one time, this city was regularly flooded during high tides. Now it is being brought under the climate-resilient urban planning. It has affordable housing, schools and health services. We have plans to modernise these services.’ He added.

More climate-resilient cities like Mongla are needed. However, the Bangladesh government does not yet have a policy to make cities climate-resilient. However, the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) is working with the government to formulate a policy. The organisation is already working to establish two cities outside Dhaka as climate-resilient cities. One of them is Mongla and the other is Nawapara in Jessore district.

Regarding Mongla city, ICCCAD Coordinator Sardar Shafiqul Alam said, ‘There are employment opportunities in this city, and more job opportunities will be created in the future. If civic amenities are properly ensured, climate-induced migrants will be able to live here. We have shared the study’s recommendations with the local administration, and based on these, Mongla Municipality has already undertaken significant work.’

Change Initiative Executive Director and Climate Finance Analyst Zakir Hossain Khan said, ‘Compact townships should be developed in coastal cities in a planned manner to support and rehabilitate people displaced by climate change. To achieve this, an area-based plan should be implemented through a rapidly formulated strategy. Capacity-based training should be incorporated into this plan, taking into account the capabilities and needs of the vulnerable population.’