To Study the immediate threats and vulnerabilities in the Sundarbans due to climate change at Patharpratima blocks, Sundarbans
Student name: Ms Gauravi Saini
Guide: Dr Kamna Sachdeva
Year of completion: 2014
Host Organisation: WWF, Kolkata
Abstract: Village Gobardhanpur (Sundarbans) has an overall high vulnerability to climate
change. The extent of exposure, sensitivity and the coping capacity of the local
people in response to extreme events like sea level rise were assessed by
analyzing their socio-economic profile based on the DFID framework. This
village is very resource poor and the livelihood earning capacity of the people is
also very low, owing to geographical location. Further two composite
vulnerability index were created which reflect that this village is highly
susceptible to sea level rise due to climate change, because this region has long
been a witness to the rapid onset of high intensity weather events (cyclones and
rains) causing significant damage to the embankments further leading to
embankment failures. Now, this increase in slow onset events (coastal erosion
and loss of land) is also causing significant damage to this ecologically sensitive
island system. With scientific studies suggesting that the rise of Relative Mean
Sea Level (RMSL) over Bay of Bengal for the last decade (200-2009) has been
higher than the rise rate of during 1985-2000, the entire population of 1185
people is highly vulnerable to flooding and permanent loss of their habitat;
rendering these island dwellers as climate refugees in case their homes get
washed out.
The components for the first composite vulnerability index were developed and
modified based on the socio-economic profile of the population of the
Gobardhanpur Village. For the second method rankings were allotted to the
chosen components. The results of both the methodologies have been represented
through a spider diagram. The final results of the consistency check have been
plotted on a scatter plot. Face to face interviews was the survey research
methodology adopted along with cross-sectional surveys carried out with the
sample population [representative of the entire population] through a predetermined
questionnaire. To maintain a quality focus on the social interactions
with the community an interpretive approach, subjective in nature was adopted.
The research design was drawn/created from ‘stratified random sample’ being
the sampling technique. The rising land and sea surface temperatures, the
increasing erratic nature of the monsoon were also verified through the detailed
accounts of the people
Key words: Climate change, vulnerability, vulnerability index, Sundarbans,
DFID
