Livelihood vulnerability to urban flood: the case of urban poor households in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the livelihood vulnerability of the urban poor households due to urban flood. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and IPCC-LVI framework were applied for analysing the vulnerability of Mirpur Slum (MPS) and Rail-line Slum (RLS) in Dhaka city. The findings indicate that slum settlements with similar characteristics could have different levels of vulnerability due to their households’ attributes and the characteristics of the surrounding neighbourhoods. This study provides insights of livelihood vulnerability of the urban poor which appeals for effective urban flood adaptation strategies through enhancing public health, water access and food security for the slum dwellers. The findings and recommendations derived from this study are likely applicable to other cities in Bangladesh and to other countries including global south with similar socio-economic profiles.KEYWORDS: Livelihood vulnerabilityfloodslum dwellersDhaka city Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Ethical statementWe declare that this article is unique, has not previously been published, and is not presently being accepted for publication anywhere. There are no conflicts of interest involving the authors and this article. As the Corresponding Author, I attest that all of the indicated authors have read and approved the paper for submission.Additional informationNotes on contributorsHasina AktherDr Hasina Akther is working as an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Having a keen interest in urban and climate change issues, she completed her doctoral research from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, on the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the urban poor exposed to extreme climate events in Bangladesh. Over the course of her professional and academic career, Dr. Akther has led many research projects addressing a diverse range of urban challenges and climate change-related matters, including rural-urban linkages, urban development processes, livelihood assessments, slum mapping, and slum vulnerability. The outcomes of Dr. Akther's twelve years of research excellence in this field have produced several published articles in esteemed peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, she has made significant contributions to numerous international and national-level seminars, workshops, and conferences in her field of interest.Mokbul Morshed AhmadDr Mokbul Morshed Ahmad is a Professor in Development Planning Management and Innovation in the Department of Development and Sustainability in the School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box. 4. Klong Luang, Pathumrhani 12120, Bangkok, Thailand (e-mail: morshed@ait.ac.th, phone: 66-2-524-5664 fax: 66-2-524-6431). Prior to that he was an Assistant Professor in the department of Geography and Environment, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He holds a PhD. in Development Geography from Durham University, Durham, UK (2000). He did his first MSc in Geography and Environment from Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh (1991) and second MSc in Rural and Regional Development Planning from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand (1993). He also worked with the government of Bangladesh as a civil servant in the ministries of public administration and Commerce. Dr. Mokbul teaches and researches on international development, NGOs, community development, human conflicts and adaptation to climate change. He has published many articles on his research areas in many journals and books. He has written/co-authored eight books.Thi Phuoc Lai NguyenDr Thi Phuoc Lai Nguyen is a social scientist and currently an Assistant Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology. Her research centers upon the human dimension in planning and managing the environment regarding social attitudes, epistemological processes and behaviors of understanding, mitigating, and adapting to social and environmental changes. The areas of research interest are coupled human-environment complex systems, social and environmental changes, social actors and environmental inequalities, governance of socio-ecological systems, education, and innovation for sustainable development.