ACCESS4ALL Group

The case study of the Philippines is similar to Satkhira, a coastal district in the southwest of Bangladesh close to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Like the Philippines, Satkhira faces cyclones, storm surges and floods, and over the years, climate change has impacted the frequency and occurrence of these events. However, Typhoon Haiyan was a single catastrophic event, while Satkhira suffers from cyclones, storm surges and floods almost every year. Although the hazards faced by the communities in both countries are similar, the way the communities respond to the hazards are different, which also show the differences in ecosystem restoration, community leadership, and institutional support.

The areas in Satkhira that are most impacted by cyclones, storm surges and floods are low-lying areas near the Sundarbans, and other regions dependent on embankments and polders. Similar to the Philippines, shrimp farming and coastal settlements exist in Satkhira. However, these human interventions have not occurred mainly through extensive clearing of mangrove forest. The Sundarbans is still mostly intact and continues to act as a natural buffer. Apart from shrimp farming which causes salinity intrusion, establishment of embankments and polders have also increased vulnerability. The embankments and polders are poorly designed and maintained, further exposing communities to flood. Therefore, rather than clearing of mangrove forest, structural and policy-level decisions have contributed to the increase in vulnerability and severity of impacts due to extreme weather events in Satkhira.

Like Leyte and Samar, the communities most affected in Satkhira are the fishermen, farmers, shrimp and crab farmers, women-headed households, and landless labourers. These communities depend heavily on climate-sensitive livelihoods like agriculture and fishing among others, have poor housing and infrastructure, limited access to services, and are highly exposed to saline water and flooding. The communities in both countries have combined local knowledge and support from the government and NGOs to overcome their challenges and cope. In Satkhira, some local knowledge to cope include raising homesteads, early warning interpretation (e.g. through wind, cloud pattern and river behaviour), use of housing materials suitable during extreme weather events, and alternative livelihood sources. Like the Philippines, the communities in Satkhira receive support from the government, NGOs and universities as well. The government provide support through cyclone shelters and evacuation, early warning systems, embankment and polder construction, disaster relief and rehabilitation activities, and provide salinity-resistant crops. The NGOs provide them small grants for community resilience, WASH support, awareness on cyclones and floods, and training on disaster preparedness and climate adaptation (e.g. alternative livelihood sources like floating gardens, tailoring etc.). The communities also sometimes receive guidance from universities and research organizations on disaster management and climate-resilient agriculture.

In case of the Philippines, as seen from the case study, coping strategies were proactive and focused more on ecosystem restoration, where there was external support but also strong community action. On the other hand, the coping strategies in Satkhira are reactive, focus less on ecosystem restoration, and are at the individual or family level more than as a community.