HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN RURAL BANGLADESH AND OPTIONS TO GO THROUGH

Abstract

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to its unfavorable geographic location, flat and low-lying terrain, dense population, and high levels of poverty. This research aims to evaluate the effects of climate change on the availability of water, housing, financial support, sanitation, and health status in Bangladesh's southwest coastal area and to investigate adaptation options. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a disaster-prone village Pratapnagar of Assasuni Upazila in Satkhira, Bangladesh from September to  October 2021. A questionnaire survey was conducted to 100 male respondents 30-70 years of age who were suffering because of a breach of the embankment and could not recover from the loss due to supercyclone Amphan (category 5) from May 16 to May 21, 2020. The mean age of the respondents was 42 years (SD  =  9.14). Fishing is the main source of income for 46% of the respondents. The study also revealed that 40% of the respondents had lost their dwellings and are still submerged in water, and 32% of the respondents have lost their agricultural land. 55% of respondents have lost their livestock and 35% of the respondents use riverside open toilets; while 55% do use toilets but water submerges the toilets during high tide.  During the last 2 months of the study period, 82% of respondents had recurrent diarrhea,  42% had respiratory diseases and 32% have been infected with skin diseases. Assasuni was the victim Upazila, where cyclone Amphan hit, and most of the drinking water sources were devastated. This socio-economic impact falls not only on the people in the coastal belt but also on the people of the whole country.