Adaptive flood mobilities in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Global climate change has altered the efficacy of traditional responses to flooding in Bangladesh and has necessitated the adoption of new actions, social networks and mobilities to strengthen the ongoing viability of the community. These changes need to be accompanied by appropriate government responses. We examined these changing mobilities in Bangladesh by first classifying them according to the relevant characteristics of emergency mobilities as described by Adey (anticipation, coordination, absence and difference) and then applying, as appropriate, one or more of Sheller and Urry’s six essential bodies of mobility theory to provide a dynamic analysis from which to generate policy responses. Major findings specific to Bangladesh include the criticality of social networks and the mobility of gender roles due to flood-related migration. The policy implications, situated at the confluence of cultural tradition, the imperative to survive and current government policy which does not encourage mobility, focus on reconceptualising the use of land space to envisage a new paradigm of support for emergency mobility and resourcing people movement. Future research could apply this novel data analysis approach to other migration situations, with the purpose of informing emergency mobility policy.

KEYWORDS:

• Disaster
• mobility
• gender
• emergency
• Bangladesh
• flooding

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.