Manifestations of Climate-Induced Migration. Is South Asia ready to tackle this crisis ? (original) (raw)

In recent years, millions of South Asians have been displaced by the effect of climate change. Many observers, when thinking about climate vulnerability in South Asia, reflexively fixate on Bangladesh-a low-lying, lower riparian nation often convulsed by destructive floods. In reality, the entire region is dangerously vulnerable. Destructive weather events like Super Cyclone Amphan are frequent displacement triggers. Back in 2009, Cyclone Aila displaced 2.3 million in India and nearly a million in Bangladesh. Pakistan's 2010 floods damaged or destroyed 1.1 million homes and displaced about 11 million people-and large numbers settled in major cities instead of returning home. In 2012, floods displaced 1.5 million in the Indian state of Assam. More gradual impacts can also cause displacement. In dry, rural regions, acute water shortages have caused farmers, fisher people, and others with water-dependent livelihoods to migrate to cities. The climate-induced mass migration is compounded by two enabling factors: the large number of people who work in the agricultural sector, and densely populated coastal areas. Most of South Asia's climate-induced migration is domestic, from rural urban areas. Asian Development Bank (ADB) research finds that floods and agricultural land losses are increasingly contributing to decisions to migrate to major Indian cities. But cross-border migration is possible as well. Recent scholarship predicts that in Bangladesh, climate refugees from rural areas are increasingly likely to migrate internationally as Bangladeshi cities become less desirable destinations for the displaced due to population pressures and lack of jobs. South Asia's high risk of climate-induced migration is particular vivid in the Subderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses the world's largest mangrove forest. Located along the Bay of Bengal and straddling areas of Bangladesh and India, it is highly susceptible to sea level rise, destructive storms, land erosion, and water salinity. Recent years have seen