Rebuilding Livelihood of the Rural and Peri-Urban Resettlers in Post-Involuntary Displacement of Saguling Dam Construction

Abstract

The construction of dams and reservoirs often comprises the displacement of not only communities but also the livelihood of the communities itself. This study aims to explore the effects of Saguling Dam construction on the livelihood re-establishment of the displaced people, by paying more attention on the sociographic localities of the new settlement, i.e. the rural and peri-urban areas. A survey was conducted on two groups of resettlers equiped with structured questionnaire. The results indicated that the project has imposed hardship on the displaced people in the process of livelihood re-establishment. Beside changes and lost of occupation, lost of resources, and insufficient cash compensation, sociographic localities of the two groups determined their social capital, which was also vital to their livelihood reconstruction.