Giving voice to displaced communities to improve planned relocation outcomes under climate change

Climate change and extreme weather events are significantly disrupting lives and livelihoods. Among the most pressing challenges is the internal displacement of people. 

Equally concerning is the plight of those who are unable to leave areas that are deteriorating due to a lack of resources. This raises critical questions about the responsibilities of local and national governments in facilitating safe and equitable planned relocation for vulnerable populations.

Bangladesh, one of the countries that is most exposed to climate-related hazards, has long recognized the necessity of planned relocation as a mitigation strategy. Given the country’s vulnerability to flooding, river erosion and sea level rise, planned relocation has become vital to protect at-risk populations, particularly in coastal and riverine areas heavily reliant on agriculture and fishing.

Using research to uncover the lived experience of displaced people in Bangladesh

Planned relocation efforts face numerous challenges: questions of justice for and potential resistance from affected communities, logistical complexities, and the difficulty of ensuring the long-term sustainability of new settlements. The success of these initiatives depends on addressing, in their design and implementation, the psycho-social impacts and socio-economic vulnerabilities of displaced populations in relocated settings. 

In response to these challenges, an IDRC-funded research project sought to uncover the experiences of displaced people to better inform the equity, resilience and sustainability of Bangladesh’s National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management. 

Researchers examined three planned relocation programs and conducted focus group discussions with displaced people to evaluate and inform the effectiveness of relocation efforts.

Three men and three women from each relocation site were selected to participate in visual participatory methods called “photovoice.” The photovoice method involved participants taking pictures over a two-week period to represent their experience of planned relocation and show how it impacted their lives.

Afterwards, interviews were conducted with each participant, using the top photos they took to unearth deeper insights on the most notable impacts — both positive and negative — of planned relocation.

“This methodology allowed participants to reflect on their lived experiences and identify valuable aspects of their lives that have been most impacted by the planned relocation, instead of using a pre-determined list of distributive aspects” said Ricardo Safra De Campos, the project’s principal investigator.

The displaced people interviewed revealed issues around housing and infrastructure with varying opinions on these matters across locations and programs, which helped the researchers better understand their experiences. 

Housing in planned relocation settlements

Displaced people often focused on the negative aspects of their new houses, highlighting necessary improvements. There was consensus that after the relocation, there were no interventions from the local government to maintain or improve housing. However, they agreed that the new houses improved their lives since, prior to the relocation, many were either homeless, living in other family members’ houses, or renting property. Through the planned relocation, they became homeowners, which allowed them to increase their disposable income and begin to improve their livelihoods, with  greater purchasing power for food, health care and education.

Oana Stefancu, a post-doctoral researcher on the project, explained that the research also showed the extent to which the types of housing varied from a small house built out of aluminum sheets with no outdoor space to a house with two rooms, a garden and outdoor kitchen space. Where outdoor spots were provided, people could plant vegetables and fruit trees, rear animals, or even engage in small-scale fish farming. This meaningfully improved their food security and quality of life, as many were able to sell surplus produce at the market.

Scroll through some of the photos the displaced people took showing typical housing units found on their relocation settlements

Infrastructure challenges in new settlements

Displaced people showed that the roads connecting the planned relocation settlements to larger roads and other villages are not paved and therefore difficult to use during the monsoon season. Since most male residents rely on rickshaw driving as their primary source of income, it’s hard for them to make a living at that time of year. The poor road conditions also limit the settlers' access to other sources of income and to public services not available in the new settlements, like schools and medical centres.

People also highlighted that the water infrastructure is poor in their settlements. There are not enough water wells for the number of residents, and often the water is saline. Ponds are scarce and poorly built, without safety walls, increasing the risk of children and animals falling in them and drowning. In addition, the pond water is dirty due to garbage, as there is no refuse collection in the relocated settlements.

Overall, the study showed that the wellbeing of displaced people improved in planned resettlements. It also demonstrated that there are important areas for improvement in planned relocation programs.