DHAKA — As climate-driven disasters intensify across Bangladesh’s vulnerable coastline, experts and policymakers are calling for a coordinated national strategy to protect the rights and economic dignity of millions forced to flee their homes.
At a high-level roundtable discussion titled “Toward Inclusive Protection: Social Safety Nets for Climate Migrants,” held on April 15 at the Samakal office in Tejgaon, participants warned that the current pace of rural-to-urban migration is reaching unsustainable levels.
The scale of displacement is staggering. Daud Jibon Das, Executive Director of Caritas Bangladesh, revealed that in 2024 alone, an estimated 2.4 million people migrated from coastal regions to major urban centers like Dhaka.
“Climate-induced displacement is no longer a distant threat; it is a shared reality for both the migrants and the cities that receive them,” Das stated, noting that the combination of cyclones, river erosion, and unemployment is hollowing out rural communities.
The dialogue underscored a “protection gap” where displaced individuals lose access to basic citizenship rights. Sabina Khatun, a representative from the Khulna community, shared a harrowing account of losing her home during Cyclone Aila. She highlighted a systemic failure: the inability to secure a National ID (NID) or access government welfare programs after being displaced.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) echoed these concerns, identifying 21 districts at extreme risk. She urged the government to integrate climate migrants into existing national social protection programs, such as housing and welfare schemes, to prevent them from falling into permanent poverty.
Expert opinions at the forum suggested that while the government’s Delta Plan and National Adaptation Plan (2021) provide a framework, execution remains fragmented.
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Dr. Ainun Nishat, Emeritus Professor at BRAC University, warned that mass migration to cities is a “last resort” that strains urban systems. He advocated for “in-situ” resilience, enabling people to remain in their home regions through better local infrastructure.
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Rezwanur Rahman, Director General of the Department of Disaster Management, argued that “housing alone is not enough.” He emphasized that livelihood support, income generation, and climate-risk insurance are essential for long-term stability.
The keynote presentation by Dr. Tasnim Siddiqui of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) provided a grim forecast: global displacement could hit 26 million by 2050. For Bangladesh, that figure could reach 19 million if adaptation efforts are not drastically scaled up.
The event, jointly organized by Caritas Bangladesh and the daily Samakal, concluded with a consensus that without immediate, cross-sectoral coordination, climate displacement will continue to drive deep-seated inequality and social instability across the nation.
