Analysis of the Flood-induced Livelihood Vulnerability of the Riparian Villages along the Tista River in West Bengal

Abstract

Floods add to the distressed conditions of the poor and vulnerable inhabitants of the Tista floodplain in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal. The riparian villages along the Tista River are well known for frequent and heavy rainstorms and climate-induced catastrophic events, such as flash floods due to unprecedented rains. The primary aim of the study is to determine whether there are any differences between the levels of vulnerability of riparian villages. Five villages were selected to conduct the field survey (sample size: 337, based on Cochran's method) from the Mal and Maynaguri block at the left bank of the Tista River. The livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) was assessed based on eight major components, i.e., socio-demographic characteristics, health status, livelihood techniques, food status, water status, climatic variation, flood, and social security. The study reveals LVI scored highest in Premganj - Majhiali (0.436) and lowest in Chat Rarpur (0.328) village. Because of their location, socio-demographic profile, livelihood options, social safety, water assistance, health support, climatic variance, and flood severity, the Basusuba and Premganj - Majhiali are considered the highest vulnerable. The study also indicated that, due to apathetic or indifferent attitudes, improved access to resources does not always imply that households are adopting resilience strategies.