Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Rural-urban migration is very common in Bangladesh but little is known about the dynamic process of the climate migration. The specific role of climate change in rural-urban migration is unclear. However, various climate factors influence the migration decision of the migrant people. Climate change does not directly force them to migrate, it leads a severe poverty to the rural people and squeezes the opportunity to work. They maintain the kinship network before migration and considered Dhaka as their first choice. Dhaka is considered a place with full of hope and expectations so without thinking the second options, people migrate to Dhaka and start life in one of the urban slums for better income and work opportunity. The research tried to understand the whole migration process and how rural-urban migrants perceive their urban conditions in socio-economic terms. A case study creates insight of the impacts of climate change and other factors influence to rural-urban migration and overall migration process of an individual. The case studies performed in the three slums of Dhaka city. Case studies showed that education, age. Income, current professions and health status prolong their sufferings in the urban slums. The case study yielded is a significant relationship between age, income and education. Due to their education and income they can never be the part of the mainstream society that is introducing them as a stranger in Dhaka. However, they can manage housing with the help of their relatives but water scarcity and lack of access to drinking water.