Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
Vulnerability Assessment of River-bank and Char People to Riparian Hazards in Lower Gangetic Basin Rakhi Das, Research Scholar, Dept. of Geography, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, India |
Received: 01.04.2026 | Accepted: 06.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 465-481 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.298 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
The lower reaches of the Ganga River are prone to many natural hazards such as floods and river-bank erosion, which results in the loss of land and livelihoods for riverine residents, endangering their lives and livelihoods. This article studies the differential pattern of livelihood vulnerability of two different communities, i.e., char and river-bank people in the face of floods and river-bank erosion, and also tries to identify some indigenous coping strategies of households living in the study area. The article is based on empirical research carried out in the Malda district of West Bengal. The livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) of Hahn et al. (2009) and LVI-IPCC have been used to analyse the livelihood vulnerability of these two communities. It is found that the LVI value of chars is higher than that of river-bank areas, indicating that they are more vulnerable to these hazards because of less accessibility of basic facilities due to physical remoteness from the mainland. To reduce the vulnerability, the inhabitants have adapted various adjustment strategies based on their farm category and occupation. The significant findings of this study are of high relevance to the public policies engaged in mitigating vulnerabilities and developing coping strategies. | ||
Keywords: Floods; River-bank erosion; Livelihood; Vulnerability; LVI; Krushkal Wallis test |