Hazards, vulnerabilities and responses of Chakma indigenous people : a case study from Rangamati districts in Bangladesh in the period of Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Climate change is the culprit of many natural hazards today. Indigenous people often rely on local resources for maintaining their subsistence, but extreme climate changes pose serious challenges to their livelihood. In addition, these people have limited access to governmental supports during and after severe climatic events, while facing social exclusion and discrimination. This project is an attempt to investigate the effects of natural hazards on indigenous people at hill tracts area in the eastern part of Bangladesh. To conduct this study, a critical ethnographic approach is employed, together with participant observation, in-depth interview, and focus group discussions. The findings of the study demonstrate that indigenous people experience severe vulnerability due to climatic hazards that damage their traditional housing structures, slash and burn cultivation (Jhum), and other invaluable materials in the family, along with disrupting the natural environment on which they depend for their subsistence. However, to cope with the adverse environment, they develop their own strategies such as making alternative housing structures, adjusting their cultural practices, and reducing the dependence on natural resources. The fieldwork was conducted in the period of Covid-19 pandemic from 2019-2020. I examine how the coping strategies of indigenous people have been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are very few empirical studies about indigenous people in Bangladesh. This work will help fill this lacuna by uncovering the distress and vulnerability of indigenous people, while informing policies to help disadvantaged communities.