Vol 23. Num 2. 2021. Article 6 - Vulnerability to Natural Hazards and Climate Resilient Socio-economic Development in Bhola

Bhola is the largest island in Bangladesh that has been suffering directly and indirectly from natural hazards almost every year. These hazards are adversely affecting the socio-economic and environmental conditions of local communities, slowing down their overall development. Although natural hazard-induced damages are already identified in different sectors, the reduction of economic losses and deaths remain largely unaddressed due to poor understanding and practices among communities regarding resilience activities. Our study aims to understand the vulnerability to natural hazards and climate resilient socio-economic development in Bhola. The results found in this study suggest that cyclones are the main devastating natural hazard in this district, whereas other hazards such as flood and river bank erosion are also common. It is also found that most of the unions of Bhola Sadar upazila have been affected by cyclones. Casualties and damage were very high in Tazumuddin upazila and the highest migration occurred from Charfasson upazila. The results also suggest that most of the region has medium resilience to natural hazards. Among the six thematic areas used in this study to determine the levels of community resilience, “knowledge and education” scored the highest and “preparedness and response” scored the lowest. These results suggest that policy makers consider the need for building a hazard resilient community in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.