ISSN : 1997-1052 (Print)
2227-202X (Online)
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Riverbank Erosion and Migration: A Study on Displaced People from Governance and Cultural Perspective
Masuda Kamal , Mohammad Joynul Abedin
Abstract

In the contemporary world, the world population is more fragmented than ever, and they are more or less and directly or indirectly being affected by the consequences of environmental hazards where riverbank erosion is appeared as a crucial one. In Bangladesh, the issue of riverbank erosion is very alarming as in every year so many people are being displaced because of it. Although the government along with environmentalists and development workers are working in this arena, riverbank erosion is intensifying the sufferings of the victims because of country’s overpopulation and failure of governance in this arena. In this backdrop, the paper attempts to establish a linkage among human migration, riverbank erosion and cultural issues through identifying the causes and effect behind the ever-growing migration of riverine people. It also makes a humble attempt to disclose the ultimate sufferings that are associated with this sort of human migration while considering the governing mechanism for regulating such kind of displacement. The study is both qualitative and quantitative, and used primary and secondary sources for gathering data and facts. The primary source includes some interviews with riverbank erosion affected people of southeast region of Bangladesh who are currently living at landless fisheries colony, CEPZ (Chittagong Export Processing Zone), Chittagong. The secondary source includes journals, books, conference papers, reports etc. The study reveals that there is a significant co-relationship among riverbank erosion, migration and socio cultural factors of riverine people. The migrants are the victims of forced migration as they were not willing to do so but the riverbank erosion destroyed everything including their land, livelihood, and socio cultural infrastructure which eventually compelled them to be migrated. The study shows that, comparatively their life at receiving area is worse than that of sending area as they face here enormous problems including their survival. Lack of proper governing system is also responsible for contributing to such kind of suffering.

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