A study on the impact of natural hazard driven environmental change on the few selected coastal communities of Orissa, India

Abstract

Natural hazards are becoming one of the major environmental change drivers around the globe. There is a close correlation between the trends of increased demographic pressure especially in developing countries that escalates environmental degradation, increases human vulnerability and intensification of the impacts of disasters. Major objectives of the study is to document the coastline changes along the villages and identify the major drivers for such changes; to analyze the consequence of the environmental change on the community, livelihood, lifestyles and mobility and to suggest sustainable management plans for more disaster resilient communities. The study was conducted in the coastal communities of Satabhaya gram Panchayat in the state of Orissa, on the East coast of India. The communities were selected based on the immediate threat to the communities from flood; cyclone and saline surges. The research paper is based on the field work conducted in the communities in 3 successive stages between December 2007 and June, 2009. The data was collected by participatory rural appraisal, focus group discussions and semi structured questionnaires, using random sampling. Remote sensing and GIS tools were used to detect the coastline changes. The observed coastline changes were higher along all the villages than the global average. The natural disasters in the past natural disasters along with development policy of the government were found to be the major drivers. Adaptation by the community included both technical and non-technical strategies. This study will help assess the vulnerability of the community as well as help policy makers develop a disaster risk reduction strategy with sustainable development goals. Adaptive, sustainable and integrated pro-poor management of natural resources like reforestation schemes, proper land use and good management of rivers and coastal areas will enhance the resilience of the communities to disasters by reversing current trends of environmental degradation/socio economic problems.