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Livelihood Vulnerability to Flood Hazard: Understanding from the Flood-prone Haor Ecosystem of Bangladesh

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Abstract

Bangladesh is a country of natural disasters and climatic hazards, which frequently affect its inhabitants’ lives and livelihoods. Among the various risks and disasters, floods are the most frequent hazard that makes haor households vulnerable. Therefore, this study was undertaken to estimate livelihood vulnerability to flooding within the flood-prone haor ecosystem in Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from 100 haor households each from Kishoreganj, Netrokona, and Sunamganj districts (N = 300) by applying a multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a pretested structured questionnaire. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework of vulnerability were applied to compare vulnerabilities among the selected haor-based communities. The empirical results revealed that haor households in Sunamganj district were more vulnerable to flood hazard and natural disaster in terms of food, water, and health than households in the other two districts. Taking into account the major components of the LVI, the IPCC framework of vulnerability indicated that households in Sunamganj district were the most vulnerable due to their lowest adaptive capacity and highest sensitivity and exposure. These findings enable policymakers to formulate and implement effective strategies and programs to minimize vulnerability and enhance resilience by improving the livelihoods of the vulnerable haor households of Bangladesh, especially those in Sunamganj district.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Bangladesh government and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) for the NATP-2 (National Agricultural Technology Program-Phase II) Project for supporting the first author’s PhD study. The authors are also grateful to BARC for the NATP-2 project under the PhD fellowship program. The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. We also convey our heartfelt gratitude to three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments which significantly improved the manuscript. All authors provided critical feedback and read and approved the final manuscript. The manuscript was based in part on the first author’s doctoral dissertation to Bangladesh Agricultural University-2202.

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  1. Agricultural Economics Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur, 1701, Bangladesh

    Mohammad Shamsul Hoq

  2. Department of Agribusiness and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202, Bangladesh

    Shankar Kumar Raha & Mohammad Ismail Hossain

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Hoq, M.S., Raha, S.K. & Hossain, M.I. Livelihood Vulnerability to Flood Hazard: Understanding from the Flood-prone Haor Ecosystem of Bangladesh. Environmental Management 67, 532–552 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01441-6

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