Environmental Migration: Migration from Bangladesh to Assam

Authors: Rishov Jyoti Sonowal

Country: India

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Abstract: Migration is a very dynamic phenomenon, people migrate to a new location for a new and better life. Forced migration is a kind of migration where people are forced to leave their homes due to political, economic, social, and environmental reasons and this has caused the global refugee crisis, more than 80 million people are displaced around the world for various reasons. Often the environmental cause of migration is overlooked and seen in association with other political, economic or social reasons of migration and there are very few cases where the environmental factor is the only cause of migration. With climate change, environmentally induced migration is now more prevalent and has influenced the political, economic, and social state of a country. 2001, World Disaster Reports of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society estimated 25 million environmental refugees and has estimated over 200 million environmental refugees by 2050.

Bangladesh is a country very prone to the effects of climate change due to its geographical location and features. 163 million people live in Bangladesh in a land area of 148,460 sq km making it the most densely populated country in the world, the high population has resulted in a shortage of food, land, health care, etc and environmental factors have a very big role in the present economic and social state of the country. The Three big Himalayan rivers The Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna joins and flows through the country and join with the Bay of Bengal forming the biggest delta in the world. With the seasonal monsoon, Bangladesh is very prone to flood, and every year at least 20% of the country gets submerged underwater and it causes land erosion, damaging land and property, deforestation, glacier melting and extreme precipitation due to climate change has resulted in more severe flood and erosion. The rapid increase in sea level has resulted in coastal flooding, frequent storm surge, and an increase in salinity resulting in a shortage of fresh water. Many people migrate across the country into India especially in the north-eastern states of India. Migration from Bangladesh to India has a long political, social and economic factors. In this paper, we look into the environmental reasons of migration. We look into the geography, environmental hazards and the effect of climate change on Bangladesh and the environmental impact of migration on Assam. The paper is based on previous papers, thesis, books, journals, articles, and reports published.

Keywords: Refugee, Migration, Environmental Hazards, Climate Change

Paper Id: 1257

Published On: 2021-10-03

Published In: Volume 9, Issue 5, September-October 2021

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