Once, Anju Begum had a home to call her own — a small piece of land, familiar neighbours and a family life centred around her husband and only daughter.
Today, all that remains of that life is a memory. The Karnaphuli River swallowed her homestead during the 2015 floods, forcing Anju and her young daughter to leave behind the place they once called home.
The disaster not only separated her from her home but also made family life more difficult. When Riya was only four years old, her father remarried and severed ties with her and her mother.
Despite her ill health, Anju raised her daughter alone. After losing their home, they eventually moved to a slum in Chattogram city.
Anju began working in different households to support her daughter. Today, she and her 15-year-old daughter live in a small rented room at Nawabkhan Colony, paying Tk2,000 a month.
Their story is not unique. Around 40 per cent of residents living in different slums in Chattogram are reportedly climate-displaced people who migrated from various parts of Bangladesh after losing their homes and land to climate-related disasters.
The findings come from a study titled “Unravelling the nexus of climate-induced displacement and rural-to-urban migration in Bangladesh: Impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy responses”, conducted by development organisation Young Power in Social Action (YPSA).
The study found that 30–40 per cent of residents in Chattogram’s informal settlements are climate-induced migrants. Among the surveyed families, 70.4 per cent identified river erosion as a major cause of displacement.
River erosion accounted for 47 per cent of reported causes of displacement, while flooding accounted for 29 per cent. Around 82 per cent of migrant households experienced the loss of land or housing, while many continue to face insecure accommodation and limited access to healthcare, education, essential services and social protection.
The study, based on a survey of 540 climate-displaced people, along with focus group discussions and key informant interviews, also found that 85 per cent of respondents had limited awareness of climate change.
Anju told TIMES of Bangladesh, “My daughter Riya Akhter Ruby is now 15. She has been deprived of regular education. I can no longer work in different houses as I did before. My daughter is now learning sewing.”
Repeated displacement
The research showed that climate displacement is rarely a one-time event. Many families are forced to move repeatedly after losing agricultural land and homes to river erosion, floods, cyclones, tidal surges and other climate-related hazards.
High rents, fear of eviction, waterlogging, lack of employment and landslide risks also force many migrants to change residences after arriving in the port city.
The greatest losses were homes and land. Around 22.9 per cent of respondents reported losing their homesteads, 20.3 per cent lost houses, 17.5 per cent lost assets and 15.2 per cent reported damage to land.
Although some migrants earn slightly more in Chattogram than they did in rural areas, higher living costs mean that increased income has not necessarily improved their quality of life.
Most men work as day labourers, rickshaw pullers, construction workers or small traders, while many women are engaged in domestic work and other informal jobs. Employment is often irregular, and social protection remains limited.
Around 62.4 per cent of respondents said they needed skills development or technical training, with sewing, livestock and poultry farming, beauty services, computer training and motor vehicle repair among their preferred areas.
Md Shamsuddoha, chief executive of the Centre for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), told TIMES that the finding that 30–40 per cent of Chattogram’s slum residents are climate-displaced is significant, though it should be viewed as an indicator of the concentration of climate
migrants in informal settlements rather than the overall rate for the city.
He said many people arrive in Chattogram after losing their homes, land and livelihoods to river erosion, floods and cyclones, only to face insecure housing, waterlogging, eviction threats, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, health risks and low-paid, irregular jobs.
Health and sanitation crisis
Moving to the city has not guaranteed access to basic services. Around 80.1 per cent of respondents said they received no health-related assistance from the city corporation.
High treatment costs, long waiting times and distance from healthcare facilities were identified as major barriers. Women face additional risks. Around 70.9 per cent use communal toilets, raising concerns over privacy, dignity and safety. Many also face harassment, restricted mobility and limited opportunities for independent income.
Respondents cited violent youths, drug users and politically influential groups in slum areas as major security concerns.
Many want to return
The study found that 57.3 per cent of respondents did not want to return to their ancestral areas because of lost homes and land, a lack of rural employment opportunities and their adaptation to urban life.
However, 42.7 per cent said they would like to return if permanent housing and livelihood opportunities were ensured. The YPSA study said relief and temporary assistance alone cannot address climate-induced displacement. It recommends permanent housing, land rights, skills development, employment opportunities, financial support for small entrepreneurs, healthcare, education and stronger social protection.
It also called for coordinated action by the government, local government bodies, NGOs and community organisations to address the growing crisis.
