Impacts of structural flood mitigation measure on livelihood: comparative study of three settlements in Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj, Bangladesh

Abstract

Tanguar Haor is in Sunamgonj, Bangladesh, adjacent to the Indian border. This area experiences flooding annually due to its geographical conditions and location. In the north lie the Meghalaya hills, from which the Haor receives several hill streams. During the monsoon, water from upstream flows north and fills the Haor area. During this flood, villages are submerged by floodwater. Specifically, the water-edge houses face the risk of floodwater and erosion. Every year, flash floods and seasonal floods cause damage to their household, cattle shed, and other properties, resulting in repair and rebuilding costs that impact their economy and growth. To prevent this damage and ensure a good livelihood, every village has a protection wall. Three types of protection walls, brick walls, concrete blocks, and earth-filled sack walls, are seen in the Tanguar Haor area. This is a Comparative study where three different villages are selected based on the types of protection walls; they have. The study examined which type of protection wall is more beneficial for sustained livelihood this will provide policymakers with vital knowledge for future interventions for flood mitigation in the Haor region. This study uses a mixed-method approach. Three villages, Nichodropur, Solaimanpur, and Anondopur, were selected for the study. where a triangular analysis will be conducted to validate the findings, incorporating the results from the Questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), Key Informant Interviews (KII), and all points that can be obtained from the FGD, KII, and questionnaire for justification will be justified by creating a link based on the DFID and Rural Housing's Livelihood Framework. Among these three types of protection walls, brick protection walls were found to be the most effective, concrete blocks are moderately impactful, while earth-filled sack walls were the least beneficial to protect villagers’ livelihoods. By applying this knowledge, policymakers and various organizations can understand the results and implement this idea to improve the livelihoods of Tanguar Haor villagers.