People are rushing from coasts to cities, but security and a dignified life remain elusive
By Zahida Parvez Chhanda (Dhaka Bureau)
Cyclones, river erosion, rising salinity, and tidal surges are destroying homesteads across the coastal delta of Bangladesh, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. In search of livelihood and safety, thousands of people are fleeing disaster-prone coastal zones daily to seek refuge in major cities. However, their struggle does not end at their new destination. Instead, a new chapter of uncertainty begins, marked by unsafe housing, temporary jobs, limited access to healthcare and education, and social deprivation.
Experts warn that this climate-change-driven internal displacement has become one of Bangladesh’s biggest social and developmental challenges. Yet, the necessary policy frameworks and coordinated initiatives required to protect the rights and security of climate migrants remain largely inadequate.
Against this backdrop, journalists, development workers, and media representatives gathered at a recent roundtable discussion organized by Caritas Bangladesh at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium. They urged the formulation of an effective policy for climate migrants and called for the issue to be highlighted with greater urgency in both national and international media.
Rising Displacement, Mounting Urban Pressure
Bangladesh remains one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Sea-level rise, frequent cyclones, severe river erosion, and an alarming expansion of salinity in the southern and southwestern coastal regions are continuously threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions. This severe onslaught of climate change is devastating the rural economy, forcing a massive population shift toward urban centers.
The Reality of Displacement and Urban Crisis
Future Forecast (2011 – 2050): Between 16 million and 26 million people in Bangladesh could be internally displaced due to climate change.
Primary Destinations: The vast majority of displaced families are seeking shelter in megacities like Dhaka, Khulna, and Chattogram.
Subhuman Living Conditions: Upon reaching cities, most migrants are forced to live in slums or informal settlements. Consequently, their access to safe water, sanitation, basic healthcare, and education for their children becomes severely restricted. Simultaneously, this unplanned population influx is placing immense pressure on existing urban infrastructure and public utility services.
‘No One Leaves Their Hearth and Home by Choice’
The roundtable discussion shed light on the deep humanitarian and social dimensions of the migrant crisis. Renowned journalist Sohrab Hasan described the crisis facing displaced people as increasingly profound and complex.
‘No one leaves their hearth, home, and ancestral memories to move to a city by choice. It is a brutal decision forced upon them solely by the urge to survive’- Sohrab Hasan, Renowned Journalist.
He expressed deep concern that upon arriving in cities, climate migrants often find themselves excluded from national social safety net programs. Because their National Identity Cards (NID) still carry their permanent village addresses, they continuously face bureaucratic hurdles and discrimination when trying to access emergency public services, rations, or financial aid.
The Question of Climate Justice and Global Accountability
Environmentalists and experts at the discussion strongly raised the critical issue of Climate Justice. Although Bangladesh’s contribution to global carbon emissions is negligible—less than one percent- this developing nation is bearing the brunt of the most destructive impacts of climate change.
Alexander Tripura, Head of the Disaster Management Department at Caritas Bangladesh, stated that climate-vulnerable nations like Bangladesh are paying the price for the historical and unchecked carbon emissions of developed countries. Therefore, international climate financing and global cooperation regarding ‘Loss and Damage’ must become far more visible and effective. According to experts, treating climate migration merely as a localized humanitarian crisis is a mistake; it is fundamentally a matter of international climate justice.
New Responsibilities and Investigative Roles for the Media
Journalists attending the event self-critically noted that continuous, data-driven, and in-depth reporting on climate migration remains limited in mainstream media. In many instances, there is a distinct lack of field-level data and long-term research.
Rafiqul Islam Azad, former President of the Dhaka Reporters Unity, stated that instead of viewing displaced people merely as ‘victims,’ they should be recognized as ‘climate warriors’. He emphasized the need to bring their stories of resilience and systemic deprivation into national and global discourse. Speakers agreed that media coverage must move beyond just reporting immediate natural disasters and focus more on investigative pieces covering the employment, safety of women, health, education, and legal rights of displaced populations.
Immediate Demand: A Five-Point Coordinated Policy
To address the escalating situation, participants urged the state and policymakers to implement a comprehensive and coordinated national policy. The key recommendations include:
A Distinct Legal Protection Framework: Enacting specific laws to safeguard the civic and human rights of climate migrants.
Inclusive Urban Services: Ensuring guaranteed access to education and healthcare within urban slums and temporary settlements.
Resolving NID Bureaucracy: Streamlining administrative processes so that migrants can easily access social safety net programs at their current locations.
Securing International Funds: Ensuring the mobilization of resources from the global ‘Loss and Damage’ fund specifically for the rehabilitation of displaced people.
Inter-Ministerial Coordination: Formulation of a joint action plan combining the Ministries of Environment, Disaster Management, and Urban Development.
Climate migration is no longer an isolated or regional phenomenon; it is inextricably linked with Bangladesh’s overall future development plans, urban management, sustainable employment, social protection, and fundamental human rights.
As the impacts of climate change deepen across Bangladesh, it is becoming undeniable that climate migration is not a distant threat- it is an unforgiving present reality. Standing before this reality, the ultimate question facing the state and civil society is: How prepared are we to ensure the security and dignity of these millions of displaced citizens?
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The Writer:
Zahida Parvez Chhanda: Staff Correspondent, Pressenza- Dhaka Bureau.
