The impact of climate change on the lives of poor migrants to Dhaka City

For low-lying Bangladesh, climate change is not just a harbinger of devastation. Effects of climate change are seen in the form of flood, drought and cyclone and this not only leaves irreparable damages but also gives rise to a mass number of climate refugees or environmentally displaced people. Due to direct and indirect impacts of climate change, the propensity for city-centric migration is increasing. This rural-urban migration partly occurs as migrants seek for a healthier place to settle down and the assessment is done by trying to find relatively better social, economic and environmental conditions in the city areas. This research is an intensive exploration of the lives in slums in Dhaka City, where a significant percentage of the dwellers are climate-affected drifters. It scrutinizes the livelihood problems that migrants face after coming to Dhaka City slums and how their problems are intensified due to climate change. The study uses four slums at Bosila, Korail, Badda, and Agargaon in Dhaka. It investigates the reasons for migration and the socio-economic and health problems the migrants face afterwards. The research also answers questions to what challenges they face in the process and what coping mechanisms they adopt to combat them. In addition to primary data, secondary data from various books, journals, and other sources were also analyzed to probe into the issue. The study hypothesizes that climate induced migrants to Dhaka City slums are not immune to miseries from further climate related problems. The analysis adjudicated that there is a major void in the implementation of rules, regulations, and policies from different levels of governing bodies, and therefore, the slum dwellers are prone to scores of socio-economic & health related problems due to environmental change.