This study examined explanatory responses to saline-water intrusion in the coastal areas of Bangladesh which are renowned for providing ecological and livelihood services. The goal of this study is to look at the different adaption strategies which coastal people have been using to deal with the growing salty water incursion. To this end, the researchers conducted a survey on 100 (one hundred) coastal people (Female 37% & Male 63%) chosen at a random basis from two unions (the lowest tier of local government) namely Perikhali union of Rampal upazila under Bagerhat district and Banishanta union of Dacope upazila under Khulna District at the southwest coast of Bangladesh. Agriculture (30%) and fisheries (27%) were the main livelihoods of the respondents. While looking at their existing problems due to salinity, it is seen that around 65% people are to move 3 - 5 (three to five) kilometres to get water access, low yield from agriculture (47%) and conversion of agricultural land (25%), acute crisis of grazing land (50%), damaged housing of cattle (30%) and fisheries (92%) are being affected due to salinity. Along with the impact, locals also have adaptation like seasonal water storage (31%), desalination (30%) and rainwater harvesting (26%) for water related impact. For agriculture, farmers are rotating crops (32%), cultivating saline tolerant varieties and others have switched from rice cultivation to other crops (30%) and cultivating saline tolerant variety (32%). In livestock, farmers are using better management practices (39%) followed by complete shift of livestock rearing (20%) to other businesses. Shifting from freshwater fish to marine water fish and crab/prawn cultivation (38%) found the most adaptation practices by the communities. For long term resilience to salinity induced disaster, collection of safe water (93%), quality seed (57%), disease control (47%) in livestock and quality hatchlings are the main barriers identified by the communities. For strengthening the current adaptation practices, rainwater harvesting (41%), household filtering of water (34%), ensuring of quality seeds (67%) and interest free loan to women through local NGOs have been stressed by the communities, local government officials as well as civil societies. Changes in land use patterns, use of contemporary technologies in agriculture, crop diversification, growing saline tolerant crops, income sources diversification, cultivating of saline tolerant fishes, utilization of savings, and rainwater harvesting are all prevalent adaptation strategies in the studied area.
References
[1]
Abedin, M. A., Habiba, U., & Shaw, R. (2014).Community Perception and Adaptation to Safe Drinking Water Scarcity: Salinity, Arsenic, and Drought Risks in Coastal Bangladesh. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 5, 110-124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-014-0021-6
[2]
Adger, W. N., Arnell, N. W., & Tompkins, E. L. (2005). Successful Adaptation to Climate Change across Scales. Global Environmental Change, 15, 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2004.12.005
[3]
Alam, M., Alam, M., Curray, J. R., Chowdhury, M. R., & Gani, M. (2003). An Overview of the Sedimentary Geology of the Bengal Basin in Relation to the Regional Tectonic Framework and Basin-Fill History. Sedimentary Geology, 155, 179-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(02)00180-X
[4]
AR4 Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (n.d.). https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar4/wg2
[5]
Bele, M. Y., Somorin, O., Sonwa, D. J., Nkem, J. N., & Locatelli, B. (2010). Forests and Climate Change Adaptation Policies in Cameroon. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 16, 369-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9264-8
[6]
Hossain, K. M., & Zaman, F. (2018). Unravelling Coastal People’s Adaptation to Salinity: Evidence from Bangladesh. International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 17, Article No. 70. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESD.2018.089278
[7]
IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) (1996). Report on Climate Change. South Africa.
[8]
Kantamaneni, K., Phillips, M., Thomas, T., & Jenkins, R. (2018). Assessing Coastal Vulnerability: Development of a Combined Physical and Economic Index. Ocean & Coastal Management, 158, 164-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.03.039
[9]
Lam, Y., Winch, P. J., Nizame, F. A. et al. (2022). Salinity and Food Security in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh: Impacts on Household Food Production and Strategies for Adaptation. Food Security, 14, 229-248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-021-01177-5
Peal, M. A. R., Kabir, M. H., Mazumder, M. S. U., Debnath, P., & Biswas, A. (2020). Farmers’ Extent of Adaptation Strategies towards Salinity Effects in Agriculture. Journal of Science, Technology and Environment Informatics, 9, 618-628. https://doi.org/10.18801/jstei.090120.63
[12]
Rabbani, G., Munira, S., & Saif, S. (2018). Coastal Community Adaptation to Climate Change-Induced Salinity Intrusion in Bangladesh. In Agricultural Economics—Current Issues. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80418
[13]
Rahman, M. K., & Akhter, J. N. (2006). River Interlinking Project of India—An Overview. Journal of the Bangladesh Society for Agricultural Science and Technology, 3, 161-168.
[14]
Shafie, H. (2019). Anthropology of Climate Change-Culture and Adaptation in Bangladesh 2017. Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT).
[15]
Shahriar, M., Hussain, S., & Saha, D. (2019). Adaptation Practices in Coastal Regions of Bangladesh. In Resilience in Action: Challenges and Solutions to Climate Change in Bangladesh. The University Press Limited (UPL).
[16]
The World Bank (2015, 2017). Salinity Intrusion in a Changing Climate Scenario Will Hit Coastal Bangladesh Hard. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/02/17/salinity-intrusion-in-changing-climate-scenario-will-hit-coastal-bangladesh-hard
University of Colorado at Boulder (2006, March 2). Antarctic Ice Sheet Losing Mass, Says University of Colorado Study. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060302180504.htm
