as daily wage work. A high proportion of the population (27%) was dependent,
including children and elderly people. Agriculture and fishing were found to be the
major occupations of the people. Most of the respondents in the sampled households
were illiterate. An overwhelming majority of the respondents had their own house
(70%). The remaining were found to live on khas (land provided by the government), vacant government land, and along a river/roadside. Most of the respondents
had a large family size, consisting of five members. Most of the respondents were
landless. Only 31% of respondents engaged in practicing agriculture. The condition
of the structure of the houses of the sampled respondents was not very encouraging,
as most were living in mud houses that are vulnerable to disasters. Nearly one third
of the respondents had difficulty accessing drinking water. Most of the respondents
used a tube well or borehole well for obtaining water.
Adaptation Strategies for Extreme Climate Events
The effectiveness of adaptation strategies varies at spatial and temporal scales.
Adaptation strategies were found to vary with the type of disaster in the SBR.
Adaptation strategies for extreme weather events, namely, cyclones, floods, salinity
intrusion, and bank erosion, are analyzed in this section. The analyses revealed that
most of the respondents (42%) prefer to stay at home during cyclone events,
followed by migrating to a safer place (18%) and shifting to cyclone centers
(15%). Nearly 15% of respondents did not have a preferred strategy during cyclones.
However, nearly 8% of respondents formed a community action team whereas only
2% of the sampled households in the study area opted to prepare cyclone protections
for their home (Fig. 5.3a). Storing food (28%) was identified as the most preferred
strategy during a flood, followed by migrating to a safer place (22%), maintaining
Fig. 5.3 Adaptation strategies for climate extreme events: (a) cyclone, (b) flood, (c) salinity
intrusion, and (d) river bank/soil erosion
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M. Sahana et al.
including children and elderly people. Agriculture and fishing were found to be the
major occupations of the people. Most of the respondents in the sampled households
were illiterate. An overwhelming majority of the respondents had their own house
(70%). The remaining were found to live on khas (land provided by the government), vacant government land, and along a river/roadside. Most of the respondents
had a large family size, consisting of five members. Most of the respondents were
landless. Only 31% of respondents engaged in practicing agriculture. The condition
of the structure of the houses of the sampled respondents was not very encouraging,
as most were living in mud houses that are vulnerable to disasters. Nearly one third
of the respondents had difficulty accessing drinking water. Most of the respondents
used a tube well or borehole well for obtaining water.
Adaptation Strategies for Extreme Climate Events
The effectiveness of adaptation strategies varies at spatial and temporal scales.
Adaptation strategies were found to vary with the type of disaster in the SBR.
Adaptation strategies for extreme weather events, namely, cyclones, floods, salinity
intrusion, and bank erosion, are analyzed in this section. The analyses revealed that
most of the respondents (42%) prefer to stay at home during cyclone events,
followed by migrating to a safer place (18%) and shifting to cyclone centers
(15%). Nearly 15% of respondents did not have a preferred strategy during cyclones.
However, nearly 8% of respondents formed a community action team whereas only
2% of the sampled households in the study area opted to prepare cyclone protections
for their home (Fig. 5.3a). Storing food (28%) was identified as the most preferred
strategy during a flood, followed by migrating to a safer place (22%), maintaining
Fig. 5.3 Adaptation strategies for climate extreme events: (a) cyclone, (b) flood, (c) salinity
intrusion, and (d) river bank/soil erosion
110
M. Sahana et al.