Shitangsu Paul | University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh (original) (raw)
Papers by Shitangsu Paul
This study was undertaken to explore the impacts of Monga, people's perception about governme... more This study was undertaken to explore the impacts of Monga, people's perception about government and non-government Monga mitigation activities and assessing victim's needs during Monga in two Monga-prone villages of northern Bangladesh. The present study finds that Monga has various impacts on people's socioeconomic conditions that results in starvation, poor calorie intake, malnutrition, social negligence, forced migration, and loss of assets, crops and livestock, etc. All such impacts depend not only on the duration of Monga but also the severity together with poor socioeconomic condition and lack of preparedness. The present study also finds that the most vulnerable groups in the Monga-prone areas are agricultural wage labourers, landless and marginal farmers, female-headed households, children, pregnant women and aged people. The government's relief, rehabilitation and employment generation activities are insufficient considering victim's needs during Monga p...
Asian Journal of Geographical Research
People repeatedly confronted by natural catastrophe in almost every year such as drought and floo... more People repeatedly confronted by natural catastrophe in almost every year such as drought and flood in the lower Teesta Basin area. After the construction of two barrages in Gozaldoba and Dalia on Teesta River drought and flood occurs almost every year. Intensity and frequency of these calamities are also increasing in an alarming rate, which caused serious damage to livelihoods and economy of this area. The objective of this paper is to find out the drought and flood induced vulnerability in the study area through Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat (SWOT) analysis. By this we can summarize the current state of a space and helping to devise a plan for the future, one that employs the existing strengths, redresses existing weaknesses, exploits opportunities and defends against threats. The study is conducted in Charkharibari village of Tepakharibari union of Dimla upazilla in Nilphamary district and Jigabari village of Tepamadhupur union of Kaunia upazilla in Rangpur district, tak...
Earth Systems and Environment, 2018
The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effect... more The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effectiveness of disaster mitigation measures undertaken by individuals, government and non-government organisations to mitigate the impacts of cyclones in the Bangladesh coast experiencing from Cyclone Aila. The primary data were collected from two villages of southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh using questionnaire survey and interviews of the key informants. The data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper reveals that the disaster management measures have a significant role to lessen the impacts of the cyclonic event, especially in pre-disaster preparedness, cyclone warning message dissemination, evacuation and post-disaster rehabilitation. The households, who have access to shelter, find weather forecast regularly and adopted pre-disaster awareness measures are relatively less susceptible to hazard's impacts. The disaster management measures undertaken by individuals and GOs and NGOs help coastal people to save their lives and property from the negative impacts of cyclones. The analysis shows that the NGOs' role is more effective and efficient than the GOs in cyclone disaster management. This paper identifies distance to shelter, participation in disaster training, efficient warning, etc. as the influential factors of vulnerability cyclones. The analysis finds the households as less affected who have adopted disaster preparedness measures. However, this paper concludes that the effective and proper disaster management and mitigation measures are very crucial to shield the lives and properties of the Bangladeshi coastal people.
Natural Hazards, May 28, 2016
The northwestern part of Bangladesh especially the Barind region is considered as a drought-prone... more The northwestern part of Bangladesh especially the Barind region is considered as a drought-prone area. The objective of this paper is to find out the adaptation measures practised by farmers to cope with climate change and agricultural drought in two droughtprone villages of the northwestern Bangladesh. The primary data for this study were collected from a structured questionnaire survey conducted on 130 households selected from 192 through simple random sampling. The present study finds that agriculture of this area is recurrently disrupted by frequent drought events. Moreover, the climate change will increase both frequency and magnitude of extreme drought events in this region. This paper identifies that the impacts of drought on agriculture are difficulties in irrigation, disruption in cropping pattern, depletion of ground water table, problem in fish cultivation and so on. On the other hand, analyses unveil that respondents practised a range of adjustment strategies to combat adverse impacts of drought such as adoptions of droughttolerant crop varieties, rainwater harvesting, mango and jujube intercropping with rice, kitchen gardening, weed control and reducing water loss, constructing water control structures, irrigation and cultivation of fast-growing fish species. Therefore, the present study recommends proper drought early warning system, reserving surface water, managing supplemental irrigation, tree plantation, re-excavation of canals and traditional ponds, credit support to the farmers, preparedness and awareness rising to ensure the future sustainable agricultural development in the study areas.
The objectives of this paper are to examine the factors influencing the human vulnerability to cy... more The objectives of this paper are to examine the factors influencing the human vulnerability to cyclones and storm surges experiencing from the impacts of Cyclone Aila, which made landfall in Bangladesh coast on May 25, 2009. Relevant data are collected from two cyclone prone coastal villages of south-western Bangladesh, through structured questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and field observations. The questionnaire survey was conducted on 292 out of 1086 households through simple random sampling procedure, and study villages are selected purposively considering the severity of impacts of Cyclone Aila. Both descriptive and inferential statistics are used to examine the factors responsible for human vulnerability to cyclones and storm surges. The present study finds that physical, socio-economic and disaster management factors have significant role to determine the household level human vulnerability to the disaster induced by cyclones and storm surges. The households havin...
Journal of hazardous materials advances, May 1, 2023
Journal of life and earth science, Aug 23, 2014
Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and d... more Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and define vulnerability, which leads diverse measuring methods to serve their own purpose and interests. Approaches to define vulnerability vary among the disciplines because of the various components of risk, household response and welfare outcomes. The objective of this paper is to present an overview based on available scientific literature from various disciplines to examine the origin, evolution and use of the vulnerability concept across different field of studies. Vulnerability is exclusively used in various disciplines such as geography, anthropology, economics, ecology, public health, poverty and development, sustainable livelihoods, famine and food security, sustainability science, land management, disaster management and climate change. Therefore, different disciplines have their own reasons for defining, measuring and developing conceptual models of vulnerability; hence there is no reason to presume that concepts, measures and methods will be universal across the disciplines. Lessons learned from one area may not be equally suitable for all. Hence, differences between various fields need to be bridged by a holistic approach and multidisciplinary research cooperation, and geography as a unique multidisciplinary field of study has the major disciplinary legitimacy to fill up the gaps and to create a common platform to work together in vulnerability research among the various research traditions.
Routledge eBooks, Oct 25, 2022
Natural Hazards, Oct 7, 2010
The purpose of this research is to explore indigenous coping strategies and identify underlying d... more The purpose of this research is to explore indigenous coping strategies and identify underlying demographic, socioeconomic and other relevant variables that influence the adoption of coping strategies in three distinct cyclone-prone coastal villages of Bangladesh. The study finds that cyclones and induced surges are a recurrent phenomenon in coastal Bangladesh; hence people are used to adjusting their lifestyle and adopting their own coping strategies intelligently. Adoption of a particular set of coping strategies depends not only on the magnitude, intensity and potential impacts of the cyclone and induced surge, but also age, gender, social class, dissemination of early warning information, locational exposure, external assistance, social protection and informal risk sharing mechanisms within the community. Indigenous cyclone disaster prevention and mitigation strategies significantly minimize the vulnerability of the people. Under extreme situations, when such disasters surpass the shock-bearing capacity of the victims, informal risk sharing mechanisms through social bonding and social safety-nets become vital for shortterm survival and long-term livelihood security. Therefore, proper monitoring and understanding of local indigenous coping strategies are essential in order to target the most vulnerable groups exposed to disasters. Additionally, proper dissemination of early warning and government and non-government partnerships for relief and rehabilitation activities should be prioritized to ensure pro-poor disaster management activities. The study also recommends effective monitoring of the impact of aid to ensure corrective measures to avoid the development of relief dependency by disaster victims.
Nature-based solutions, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of hazardous materials advances, Mar 1, 2023
Climate, Environment and Disaster in Developing Countries, 2022
This paper explores the extent of impact and the severity of tropical cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh,... more This paper explores the extent of impact and the severity of tropical cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, and assesses various countermeasures undertaken by Government of Bangladesh together with NGOs to minimize cyclone impacts. Based on a questionnaire survey at household level a total 331 out of 770 households were selected in the central coast of Bangladesh. This study finds that Shoreline and Island are more vulnerable than Inland locations in terms of deaths, injuries, spreading of communicable diseases and property damages. Likewise, women and children are the most vulnerable groups to cyclone and storm surge. Regression result reveals that annual household income, household’s distance from the coast, household head’s primary occupation, age, and educational status are the major influencing factors to cyclone damage. Besides, government and NGO’s disaster management efforts have improved their efficiency in recent times. Therefore, human death, and injuries have reduced significantly. On the contrary, property damage has increased significantly in recent cyclones. Therefore, it is important to create awareness among coastal people by providing disaster risk reduction trainings to remote Islands and Shoreline villagers. Especially, priority should be given to women and children as they are the most vulnerable to cyclones and accompanied storm surges. Additionally, proper dissemination of accurate cyclone warning, creating new cyclone shelters and improving conditions of existing shelters, creating durable embankments and coastal afforestation could significantly minimize the cyclone impacts.
Earth Systems and Environment, 2018
The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effect... more The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effectiveness of disaster mitigation measures undertaken by individuals, government and non-government organisations to mitigate the impacts of cyclones in the Bangladesh coast experiencing from Cyclone Aila. The primary data were collected from two villages of southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh using questionnaire survey and interviews of the key informants. The data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper reveals that the disaster management measures have a significant role to lessen the impacts of the cyclonic event, especially in pre-disaster preparedness, cyclone warning message dissemination, evacuation and post-disaster rehabilitation. The households, who have access to shelter, find weather forecast regularly and adopted pre-disaster awareness measures are relatively less susceptible to hazard's impacts. The disaster management measures undertaken by individuals and GOs and NGOs help coastal people to save their lives and property from the negative impacts of cyclones. The analysis shows that the NGOs' role is more effective and efficient than the GOs in cyclone disaster management. This paper identifies distance to shelter, participation in disaster training, efficient warning, etc. as the influential factors of vulnerability cyclones. The analysis finds the households as less affected who have adopted disaster preparedness measures. However, this paper concludes that the effective and proper disaster management and mitigation measures are very crucial to shield the lives and properties of the Bangladeshi coastal people.
Geography in Bangladesh, 2019
The book documents the historical perspective of floods in Bangladesh with environmental, socio- ... more The book documents the historical perspective of floods in Bangladesh with environmental, socio- economic and infrastructural impacts. The study intensively focuses on two villages of different geophysical conditions and addresses the indigenous practices and coping ability of local people. The book reports that people in an area with low flooding and with better socioeconomic circumstances are more likely to cope with impacts compared to people in areas with high and sudden flooding. Similarly, households’ ability to cope varies depending on people’s socioeconomic conditions, such as education, income and occupation. Although floods in Bangladesh generate socioeconomic misery and cause damage to the environment, health and infrastructure, people’s indigenous coping strategies have helped them to reduce significantly their vulnerability. Such flood-mitigating strategies should be well recognized and emphasized further via proper dissemination of information through an early-warning ...
This study was undertaken to explore the impacts of Monga, people's perception about governme... more This study was undertaken to explore the impacts of Monga, people's perception about government and non-government Monga mitigation activities and assessing victim's needs during Monga in two Monga-prone villages of northern Bangladesh. The present study finds that Monga has various impacts on people's socioeconomic conditions that results in starvation, poor calorie intake, malnutrition, social negligence, forced migration, and loss of assets, crops and livestock, etc. All such impacts depend not only on the duration of Monga but also the severity together with poor socioeconomic condition and lack of preparedness. The present study also finds that the most vulnerable groups in the Monga-prone areas are agricultural wage labourers, landless and marginal farmers, female-headed households, children, pregnant women and aged people. The government's relief, rehabilitation and employment generation activities are insufficient considering victim's needs during Monga p...
Asian Journal of Geographical Research
People repeatedly confronted by natural catastrophe in almost every year such as drought and floo... more People repeatedly confronted by natural catastrophe in almost every year such as drought and flood in the lower Teesta Basin area. After the construction of two barrages in Gozaldoba and Dalia on Teesta River drought and flood occurs almost every year. Intensity and frequency of these calamities are also increasing in an alarming rate, which caused serious damage to livelihoods and economy of this area. The objective of this paper is to find out the drought and flood induced vulnerability in the study area through Strength Weakness Opportunities Threat (SWOT) analysis. By this we can summarize the current state of a space and helping to devise a plan for the future, one that employs the existing strengths, redresses existing weaknesses, exploits opportunities and defends against threats. The study is conducted in Charkharibari village of Tepakharibari union of Dimla upazilla in Nilphamary district and Jigabari village of Tepamadhupur union of Kaunia upazilla in Rangpur district, tak...
Earth Systems and Environment, 2018
The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effect... more The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effectiveness of disaster mitigation measures undertaken by individuals, government and non-government organisations to mitigate the impacts of cyclones in the Bangladesh coast experiencing from Cyclone Aila. The primary data were collected from two villages of southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh using questionnaire survey and interviews of the key informants. The data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper reveals that the disaster management measures have a significant role to lessen the impacts of the cyclonic event, especially in pre-disaster preparedness, cyclone warning message dissemination, evacuation and post-disaster rehabilitation. The households, who have access to shelter, find weather forecast regularly and adopted pre-disaster awareness measures are relatively less susceptible to hazard's impacts. The disaster management measures undertaken by individuals and GOs and NGOs help coastal people to save their lives and property from the negative impacts of cyclones. The analysis shows that the NGOs' role is more effective and efficient than the GOs in cyclone disaster management. This paper identifies distance to shelter, participation in disaster training, efficient warning, etc. as the influential factors of vulnerability cyclones. The analysis finds the households as less affected who have adopted disaster preparedness measures. However, this paper concludes that the effective and proper disaster management and mitigation measures are very crucial to shield the lives and properties of the Bangladeshi coastal people.
Natural Hazards, May 28, 2016
The northwestern part of Bangladesh especially the Barind region is considered as a drought-prone... more The northwestern part of Bangladesh especially the Barind region is considered as a drought-prone area. The objective of this paper is to find out the adaptation measures practised by farmers to cope with climate change and agricultural drought in two droughtprone villages of the northwestern Bangladesh. The primary data for this study were collected from a structured questionnaire survey conducted on 130 households selected from 192 through simple random sampling. The present study finds that agriculture of this area is recurrently disrupted by frequent drought events. Moreover, the climate change will increase both frequency and magnitude of extreme drought events in this region. This paper identifies that the impacts of drought on agriculture are difficulties in irrigation, disruption in cropping pattern, depletion of ground water table, problem in fish cultivation and so on. On the other hand, analyses unveil that respondents practised a range of adjustment strategies to combat adverse impacts of drought such as adoptions of droughttolerant crop varieties, rainwater harvesting, mango and jujube intercropping with rice, kitchen gardening, weed control and reducing water loss, constructing water control structures, irrigation and cultivation of fast-growing fish species. Therefore, the present study recommends proper drought early warning system, reserving surface water, managing supplemental irrigation, tree plantation, re-excavation of canals and traditional ponds, credit support to the farmers, preparedness and awareness rising to ensure the future sustainable agricultural development in the study areas.
The objectives of this paper are to examine the factors influencing the human vulnerability to cy... more The objectives of this paper are to examine the factors influencing the human vulnerability to cyclones and storm surges experiencing from the impacts of Cyclone Aila, which made landfall in Bangladesh coast on May 25, 2009. Relevant data are collected from two cyclone prone coastal villages of south-western Bangladesh, through structured questionnaire survey, key informant interviews and field observations. The questionnaire survey was conducted on 292 out of 1086 households through simple random sampling procedure, and study villages are selected purposively considering the severity of impacts of Cyclone Aila. Both descriptive and inferential statistics are used to examine the factors responsible for human vulnerability to cyclones and storm surges. The present study finds that physical, socio-economic and disaster management factors have significant role to determine the household level human vulnerability to the disaster induced by cyclones and storm surges. The households havin...
Journal of hazardous materials advances, May 1, 2023
Journal of life and earth science, Aug 23, 2014
Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and d... more Vulnerability has no universal definition. Experts from various disciplines use the concept and define vulnerability, which leads diverse measuring methods to serve their own purpose and interests. Approaches to define vulnerability vary among the disciplines because of the various components of risk, household response and welfare outcomes. The objective of this paper is to present an overview based on available scientific literature from various disciplines to examine the origin, evolution and use of the vulnerability concept across different field of studies. Vulnerability is exclusively used in various disciplines such as geography, anthropology, economics, ecology, public health, poverty and development, sustainable livelihoods, famine and food security, sustainability science, land management, disaster management and climate change. Therefore, different disciplines have their own reasons for defining, measuring and developing conceptual models of vulnerability; hence there is no reason to presume that concepts, measures and methods will be universal across the disciplines. Lessons learned from one area may not be equally suitable for all. Hence, differences between various fields need to be bridged by a holistic approach and multidisciplinary research cooperation, and geography as a unique multidisciplinary field of study has the major disciplinary legitimacy to fill up the gaps and to create a common platform to work together in vulnerability research among the various research traditions.
Routledge eBooks, Oct 25, 2022
Natural Hazards, Oct 7, 2010
The purpose of this research is to explore indigenous coping strategies and identify underlying d... more The purpose of this research is to explore indigenous coping strategies and identify underlying demographic, socioeconomic and other relevant variables that influence the adoption of coping strategies in three distinct cyclone-prone coastal villages of Bangladesh. The study finds that cyclones and induced surges are a recurrent phenomenon in coastal Bangladesh; hence people are used to adjusting their lifestyle and adopting their own coping strategies intelligently. Adoption of a particular set of coping strategies depends not only on the magnitude, intensity and potential impacts of the cyclone and induced surge, but also age, gender, social class, dissemination of early warning information, locational exposure, external assistance, social protection and informal risk sharing mechanisms within the community. Indigenous cyclone disaster prevention and mitigation strategies significantly minimize the vulnerability of the people. Under extreme situations, when such disasters surpass the shock-bearing capacity of the victims, informal risk sharing mechanisms through social bonding and social safety-nets become vital for shortterm survival and long-term livelihood security. Therefore, proper monitoring and understanding of local indigenous coping strategies are essential in order to target the most vulnerable groups exposed to disasters. Additionally, proper dissemination of early warning and government and non-government partnerships for relief and rehabilitation activities should be prioritized to ensure pro-poor disaster management activities. The study also recommends effective monitoring of the impact of aid to ensure corrective measures to avoid the development of relief dependency by disaster victims.
Nature-based solutions, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of hazardous materials advances, Mar 1, 2023
Climate, Environment and Disaster in Developing Countries, 2022
This paper explores the extent of impact and the severity of tropical cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh,... more This paper explores the extent of impact and the severity of tropical cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, and assesses various countermeasures undertaken by Government of Bangladesh together with NGOs to minimize cyclone impacts. Based on a questionnaire survey at household level a total 331 out of 770 households were selected in the central coast of Bangladesh. This study finds that Shoreline and Island are more vulnerable than Inland locations in terms of deaths, injuries, spreading of communicable diseases and property damages. Likewise, women and children are the most vulnerable groups to cyclone and storm surge. Regression result reveals that annual household income, household’s distance from the coast, household head’s primary occupation, age, and educational status are the major influencing factors to cyclone damage. Besides, government and NGO’s disaster management efforts have improved their efficiency in recent times. Therefore, human death, and injuries have reduced significantly. On the contrary, property damage has increased significantly in recent cyclones. Therefore, it is important to create awareness among coastal people by providing disaster risk reduction trainings to remote Islands and Shoreline villagers. Especially, priority should be given to women and children as they are the most vulnerable to cyclones and accompanied storm surges. Additionally, proper dissemination of accurate cyclone warning, creating new cyclone shelters and improving conditions of existing shelters, creating durable embankments and coastal afforestation could significantly minimize the cyclone impacts.
Earth Systems and Environment, 2018
The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effect... more The major objective of this paper is to identify the vulnerability factors and examine the effectiveness of disaster mitigation measures undertaken by individuals, government and non-government organisations to mitigate the impacts of cyclones in the Bangladesh coast experiencing from Cyclone Aila. The primary data were collected from two villages of southwestern coastal areas of Bangladesh using questionnaire survey and interviews of the key informants. The data were analysed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper reveals that the disaster management measures have a significant role to lessen the impacts of the cyclonic event, especially in pre-disaster preparedness, cyclone warning message dissemination, evacuation and post-disaster rehabilitation. The households, who have access to shelter, find weather forecast regularly and adopted pre-disaster awareness measures are relatively less susceptible to hazard's impacts. The disaster management measures undertaken by individuals and GOs and NGOs help coastal people to save their lives and property from the negative impacts of cyclones. The analysis shows that the NGOs' role is more effective and efficient than the GOs in cyclone disaster management. This paper identifies distance to shelter, participation in disaster training, efficient warning, etc. as the influential factors of vulnerability cyclones. The analysis finds the households as less affected who have adopted disaster preparedness measures. However, this paper concludes that the effective and proper disaster management and mitigation measures are very crucial to shield the lives and properties of the Bangladeshi coastal people.
Geography in Bangladesh, 2019
The book documents the historical perspective of floods in Bangladesh with environmental, socio- ... more The book documents the historical perspective of floods in Bangladesh with environmental, socio- economic and infrastructural impacts. The study intensively focuses on two villages of different geophysical conditions and addresses the indigenous practices and coping ability of local people. The book reports that people in an area with low flooding and with better socioeconomic circumstances are more likely to cope with impacts compared to people in areas with high and sudden flooding. Similarly, households’ ability to cope varies depending on people’s socioeconomic conditions, such as education, income and occupation. Although floods in Bangladesh generate socioeconomic misery and cause damage to the environment, health and infrastructure, people’s indigenous coping strategies have helped them to reduce significantly their vulnerability. Such flood-mitigating strategies should be well recognized and emphasized further via proper dissemination of information through an early-warning ...