Evaluation of farmers’ socioeconomic vulnerability in the Indian districts of Dakshin Dinajpur and Saraikela Kharsawan: a path towards sustainability

Abstract

In the northwest region of Bangladesh and neighboring West Bengal, India, particularly in the flood-affected corridors of the Atreyee and Punarbhaba rivers and the Subarnarekha river of Saraikela Kharsawan district, floods are a destructive natural hazard that occurs both temporally and spatially. These three rivers, which have their origins in India's hilly regions, flow through heavily populated lowlands or floodplains and provide two challenges. Their seasonal flows sustain livelihoods and agriculture, yet their hydrological and geomorphological characteristics cause devastation through floods and riverbank erosion. Particularly in areas like Biral and Dinajpur Sadar in Bangladesh and Kushmandi, Gangarampur, and Balurghat in India, embankments become overtopped or breached into abandoned areas when there is some rainfall. These kinds of locations are always at risk due to a combination of natural factors, inadequate water management, and insufficient rainfall to sustain embankments. The current study uses the Garret Ranking Method, livelihood vulnerability index (LVI), livelihood security index (LSI), and SWOT analysis to evaluate the socioeconomic vulnerability of the farming community in the riverine tract of Atreyee, Punarbhaba, and Subarnarekha.