Socio-Economic Impacts of Teesta Riverbank Erosion: Evidence from Lalmonirhat District, Bangladesh

Bangladesh, a disaster-prone South Asian country, is affected by the multiple issues of climate change such as global warming, sea level rise, floods, and riverbank erosion. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of riverbank erosion on the livelihood vulnerability of the riparian household in the Teesta River. The study area is most vulnerable area of Lalmonirhat District. A questionnaire survey was conducted for the data collection. A total of 70 rural households were interviewed from the Dhubni villages under the Shingimary union of Hatibandha, Lalmonirhat during March-May, 2023. Apart from the survey data, by means of other methods of data collection such as interactions, and observations were employed in this study. Results show that due to riverbank erosions, households experienced loss of homesteads, loss of agricultural lands, loss of agricultural productions and displacement of their houses. Besides, the riverbank erosion also has long term socio-economic impacts on livelihoods of the erosion-induced households of the river area.