Abstract
The frequency and severity of natural disasters have risen worldwide in recent times, causing loss of lives and property and migration of vulnerable populations. In 2019, India recorded the highest disaster displacements in South Asia. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, a city situated in the Indo-Gangetic plain, is ranked the fourth most vulnerable among 11 major coastal cities in Asia threatened by rising sea levels. To add to its woes, the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, which has historically been its cyclone shield, faces submergence due to rapidly rising sea levels, with acres of crops being destroyed by saline water. The effects of the depletion of the mangrove forest have been manifested from the disastrous consequences of Cyclone Amphan (May 2020) and Cyclone Yaas (May 2021) in southern West Bengal. The island of Ghoramara has been reduced to half its size. Following Cyclone Yaas, islands of Ghoramara and Mousuni have been evacuated by the government. Climate refugees systematically displaced from the outer islands of Sundarbans have relocated to Sagar Island and are gradually pouring into Kolkata, looking for alternative accommodation. The lack of national or state policy and a general apathy of the government regarding strategic rehabilitation of climate migrants are proving to be burdensome for Kolkata, a city already bursting at its seams. This paper will evaluate the factors behind the disaster displacement that Kolkata is expected to face soon and propose strategies to mitigate the issues arising from such unchecked migration from the Sundarbans.
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Chengappa, M.P., Saha, A. (2023). Disasters in Sundarbans and Ecological Refugees to Kolkata: A Missing Action Plan. In: Singh, A. (eds) International Handbook of Disaster Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-8388-7_21
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