Riverbank erosion and its impact on rural women: Case study of Ulania village in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Riverbank erosion is one of the major natural hazards that have long-term consequences for human life. Bangladesh, a riverine country, regularly suffers from serious riverbank erosion. As a result, thousands of people, living near or along riverbanks, are displaced every year. Based on a field investigation undertaken in a village of Southern Bangladesh, this study examines how rural women cope with riverbank erosion. It reveals that women remain highly dependent on their surrounding environment to perform a wide range of activities. As a result, displacement due to riverbank erosion severely affects them. This article also shows that despite the socio-economic, cultural and gender barriers, women build diverse strategies to carry on with their lives in a new environment. Our findings identify women's capacity to face adversities due to natural hazards and how they use their own agency to influence social transformation.

ABSTRACT IN BANGLA

KEYWORDS:

• Women
• riverbank erosion
• displacement
• coping
• social transformation

KEYWORDS:

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Notes on contributors

Khadiza AKTER is a Program Officer in the Gender and Water Alliance – Bangladesh. She obtained BSS and MSS in Department of Women and Gender Studies from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She holds a Post-Graduate Diploma degree in Disaster Management from the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Currently, she is doing a Professional Master's degree in Disaster Management from the same institute. Her areas of research interest include Gender, Environment, Development, Health, and WASH..

Soma DEY is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She obtained a PhD in Gender & Development Studies (GDS) from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. Her areas of research interest include Gender & Environment, Rural Livelihoods, Globalization and Indigenous Society..

Shaakeel HASAN is a freelance consultant and researcher and the owner of Water Wits, Netherlands. He obtained a PhD in Environmental Science from Wageningen University, Netherlands. During his multi-dimensional career of about 25 years, he worked as a Civil Engineer, Hydrologist, GIS Expert, Scientist, Researcher, Advisor, Consultant, Reviewer, Scientific Writer and Thinker. His areas of research interest include Water, Environment and Climate.

ORCID

Soma DEY http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4720-9464