Exploring the Effects of Cyclonic Disasters on Socio-Economic, Public Health and Health Care System in South West Coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

Due to the geo-morphological and meteorological characteristics, Bangladesh tends to susceptible of several types of natural disasters like cyclone, tidal surge, coastal flooding, and salinity intrusion with the increasing of severity and frequency of cyclonic disasters and resulting in massive losses of life, damage to property, disruptions of livelihoods, economic activities and health hazards. This study aims to analyze the severity of socio-economic and health impact of cyclonic disasters on the coastal community of south west Bangladesh, but impacts differently. To gather information for this study, a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, including 840 questionnaire survey, 82 case studies, 68 Key Informants Interviews (KII), and 08 Focus Group Discussions (FGD) have been conducted from Satkhira and Khulna district of Khulna division, and Bhola and Barguna district of Barishal division. Multi-stages stratified sampling has been used in this study. Data has been collected from the women, pregnant women, adolescent girls, aged, elderly, physically challenged people, fisherman, marginal farmers, day laborers, mawali or honey collectors, bawali or wood cutters, golpata collectors, medicinal plant collectors, fish fry collectors, crab collectors, bede community, chunery or oyster and snail collectors, riders and other vulnerable or destitute of the southern the coastal community. The community people of these areas depend on mangrove forest resources and river or sea- based water resources for their livelihood. In addition, certain information came from secondary sources. Through SPSS 22, Pearson Chi Square (χ2) tests and some descriptive statistics has been performed in this study. This study investigates the socio-economic and health effect of coastal cyclonic disasters on south west coastal community people in Bangladesh, particularly Shyamnagar and Ashashuni upazila in Satkhira district and Dacope and Koyra upazila in Khulna district of Khulna division, and Patharghata and Betagi upazila in Barguna district and Charfashion and Tajumuddin upazila in Bhola district of Barishal division., which are the most cyclonic disaster-prone area. Due to the cyclonic disasters, dwellings, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), several roads, culverts, embankments, agricultural fields, and educational establishments have been destroyed during the cyclone disaster. This catastrophe results in salinity intrusion, fresh water crises, alterative livelihood challenges, health, and sanitation and malnutrition problems. Many people have become homeless and now lead miserable and hopeless lives. Cyclonic disasters effect on the communities economic, social, physical, psychological, cultural, and health vulnerabilities which accounts for 100%, 89%, 13.9%, 96.9%, 6.8% and 97.5% vi respectively. Cyclonic disasters destructed the infrastructure, farmland, ruining the shelter and death of cattle. Cyclonic disasters disrupted social networks and communication, hindrances to children's movement, women's income, means of livelihood disruptions, educational institutions, increased mental health issues, waterborne diseases, skin ailments, and forced migration, increasing of crime rates, vector-borne diseases, malnutrition, and gender-based vulnerabilities. It also creates the problem of WASH and potable water respectively. Cyclonic disasters disrupt the regularity of children education, children drop out from school, and tends to economic uncertainty. Physically disabled and aged people face transportation barriers, lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, sufficient toilet facilities, and lack of shelter facilities. Economic insecurity, food insecurity, lack of shelter, death risk, infrastructural losses, health risks, scarcity of safe drinking water, damage of standing crops, loss of fisheries, homestead/kitchen garden, threats to various livelihoods, and migration respectively due to cyclone and cyclone induced disasters. Workers suffer during cyclonic disasters, and also get low wages and salary, and health hazards due to cyclonic disasters. Food production and employment opportunity/income diversity, fisheries and domestic livestock sectors is threatened due to cyclonic disasters. The coastal community faced the mental depression, economic depression and social depression due to cyclonic disasters. The marginal community including adolescent girls, pregnant and breastfeeding women are not conscious and face difficulties in accessing proper and nutritious food during cyclonic disasters. Even, they do not get health rights and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Pregnant, breastfeeding, and menstruating women are at risk of health issues during and after disasters. Women face vulnerability and deprivation during disasters, such as limited access to healthcare due to distant health care center, and restricted roles in the informal sector due to unpaid work, patriarchal attitudes, lack of opportunities in decision-making, lack of opportunity in community decision making process, and lack of political empowerment etc. Women face the scarcity of suitable places for baby's breast feeding, for changing proper sanitary materials, do not get medical treatment, insufficient of healthcare access, inadequate of the essential medical goods and services, absent of hygienic facilities of women, lack of privacy and unavailability of separate toilets during and post disasters in cyclone shelters. About 91.3%, 89.6%, 88.4%, 87.9%, and 84.2% of the respondents mention that maternal and fetal complexity, miscarriage, changes in periodical vii cycle/time, preterm/ immature birth, maternal and prenatal death/ immature death, and child growth retardation are occurred due to salinity. About 96.7%, 95.8%, 95.6%, 95.1%, 92.7% and 65.2% of the respondents claim that they suffer various diseases like water and food borne diseases, mental, nutritional, infectious and other diseases, high rates of diseases, vector and rodent borne diseases, extreme weather events –related diseases and heat related illness and death in south west coastal Bangladesh due to cyclonic disasters. Fever, cold, bad headache, diarrhea, asthma/ breath taking problem, whooping cough and skin diseases of health risks are observed frequently. The community have indigenous knowledge about coping mechanism of disaster risk, response and risk reduction. Respondents get to know about upcoming disaster from miking of CPP volunteers, interpersonal communication, television and Facebook. They recover from damages of properties with their capacity from their own resources, NGO support, and government support respectively due to cyclonic disasters. The respondents emphasized empowering local communities, building disaster risk reduction skills, and establishing links between local communities and governments to mitigate disaster impacts. Cyclone centers, embankment, and sluice gate should be constructed. Access of safe drinking water, medical facilities, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) corner, and reforestation is needed to reduce the disaster risks. Public health and hygiene, public awareness, meeting and training, and preparedness program should be enriched to reduce the disaster risks. Government and NGOs provided social assistance program should be extended and maintained properly. In order to ensure efficient cyclone management and long-term physical growth, the dissertation provides some suggestions for improving the coastal communities by coordinating of ‘disaster risk reduction, adaptation, mitigation and resilient’ activities and executing future plans. Finally, this research has proposed some implications that might be helpful for policy making and further research regarding ‘cyclonic disasters’. Key words: Cyclone, flood, tidal surge, salinity intrusion, cyclonic disasters, social vulnerability, economic vulnerability, health care and services, health risks, adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and disaster management.