Karabi DAS, Dr. Kanailal Bhattacharyya College, University of Calcutta, India
Vulnerability, when viewed in relation to hazards and disasters, links the relationships people have with their environment to social forces and institutions and the cultural values that sustain and contest them. Indian Sundarban, one of the dynamic ecosystems also responds to these changes. The Sundarban region is a highly dynamic ecosystem, which has been formed and modified by continuous sediment input from rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, intense tidal hydro-dynamics, climatic disturbances and anthropogenic activities. Sundarban region has been modified by strong tides, longshore currents, waves through sediment reworking, erosion and deposition. Aila to Yaas, Sundarban has faced a legacy of destruction in a decade and every time the embankments have faced massive destruction, resulting in subsequent saltwater inundation. From erosion of the southern face of Sundarbans, retrograding nature of western Ganga Brahmaputra delta, time velocity asymmetry of tides in Sundarban, separation of the creeks from their upstream sources, premature reclamation, increasing sea surface temperature of Bay of Bengal and increasing frequency of cyclones, Indian Sundarban is facing increasing vulnerabilities over the years. In this scenario, the inhabitants of Sundarban are trying to cope up with the situation sometimes by building and repairing embankments on their own at the time of disaster and sometimes by resettling at other suitable locations (observed in Pakhiralaya, Gosaba community development block) on their own. Brick pitching, brick block pitching, porcupine mesh, using gunny bags and constructions of spurs are some of the mitigation strategies undertaken by both local villagers and government. This paper addresses the various vulnerabilities of Sundarban and the mitigation strategies undertaken by local inhabitants. This paper also tries to find out the best possible solution to these burning issues of Indian Sundarban.
Mots clés : Sundarban|Vulnerability| Embankment breaching|Cyclone|Saltwater inundation
A104324KD