Riverbank Erosions, Coping Strategies, and Resilience Thinking of the Lower-Meghna River Basin Community, Bangladesh

Abstract

The concept of resilience is a well-recognized field of study that is increasingly advanced among scholars, professionals, and practitioners. Resilience thinking helps to understand how a particular system works that incorporates both natural phenomena and social perspectives involving with disturbances, surprises, and uncertainty that affect socio-ecological systems. We argue resilience as the capacity of a system to evolve and function in a dynamic way through adaptive cycle where households and communities are linked to the problem of riverbank erosion in Bangladesh. Few studies have been conducted to understand how communities that face enormous threats and challenges related to chronic and acute riverbank erosions in the Bangladesh coastal delta. In this study, we explore and theorize how riverbank erosion impacts Lower-Meghna River basin community and their coping strategies through resilience thinking and adaptive capacities. Information used in this study are collected from questionnaire surveys, Focus Group Meetings (FGMs), and key personnel interviews from Ramgati Upazilla of Lakshmipur District, Bangladesh, which indicate that respondents experience significant household displacement due to riverbank erosion. Respondents were asked about what coping mechanisms they adopted in response to recent riverbank erosions. Results indicate that relatives, neighbors, and local community members primarily provide shelters and support for those families that were affected by the riverbank erosions.