Discussion Forum Reflection – Vulnerability Mapping Module
For this discussion forum, I have uploaded a PDF of my identified vulnerability list based on the virtual field trip regions, with particular focus on urban slum areas in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The vulnerability assessment highlights key climate hazards such as heavy rainfall, flooding, storms, extreme heat, and water contamination, and examines how these hazards interact with social and infrastructural conditions to shape human vulnerability.
Key insights from the community testimonial videos
The community testimonial videos from Dhaka provided strong, human-centred insights into how climate change is experienced in everyday life. Residents described living in houses made of thin zinc or metal sheets, which become extremely hot during both the dry and rainy seasons. Even with fans, indoor temperatures remain unbearable, forcing people to endure heat stress inside their homes. During storms, rainwater leaks through roofs, and houses often become unlivable for several days.
Flooding is a frequent problem. Rainwater accumulates in front of homes and seeps from below the ground, preventing movement and disrupting daily activities. Testimonies also highlighted how lakes and drainage channels clogged with garbage overflow onto roads, worsening floods. Residents noted that when these water bodies are cleared, flooding reduces, showing how poor waste management increases climate impacts.
Water access and quality emerged as major concerns. Many households rely on hand pumps or government-supplied water, which is inconsistent, polluted, and often contaminated with iron. Due to the high cost of gas, some residents drink water without boiling it, increasing health risks. People reported skin problems, itching, wounds, swelling, and irritation, as well as viral infections linked to poor water and sanitation conditions. Shared public toilets are used by 30–40 families, poorly maintained, and cleaned infrequently, further increasing disease risk.
The testimonials also revealed serious safety and social challenges. Women face heightened insecurity in overcrowded slum environments, particularly during floods and at night. The presence of drug use, occasional fire outbreaks, high transportation costs, and limited access to healthcare further compound vulnerability. These insights showed that climate impacts are intensified by poverty, weak infrastructure, inadequate services, and governance limitations, rather than climate hazards alone.
Reflection on the text-based RPG game climate vulnerability role playing game
My experience with the text-based RPG game helped me better understand the difficult trade-offs faced by vulnerable communities. During the gameplay, I had to make choices about how to use limited resources, such as deciding between spending money on immediate needs like food, water, and health, or investing in longer-term measures such as housing improvement or disaster preparedness. I often chose short-term survival options because resources were scarce and risks were immediate.
These decisions were influenced by poverty, uncertainty, and lack of institutional support, which closely reflect the challenges discussed in this module. The game demonstrated how people living in vulnerable conditions may be forced to accept unsafe housing, poor water quality, or delayed evacuation, not because they are unaware of the risks, but because they have limited alternatives. This directly connects to the experiences shared in the Dhaka community testimonials, where residents make daily compromises to cope with heat, floods, health risks, and insecurity.
Overall learning reflection
This module reinforced the understanding that climate vulnerability is not only shaped by environmental hazards, but by human, social, economic, and institutional factors. The combination of vulnerability mapping, community testimonials, and the RPG game highlighted how poverty, poor housing, inadequate water and sanitation, limited healthcare, gender insecurity, and weak governance significantly reduce adaptive capacity. Together, these elements justify a high vulnerability classification for Dhaka’s urban slum communities and emphasize the importance of addressing non-environmental factors in climate adaptation planning.