Understanding climate change vulnerability in two coastal villages in Bangladesh and exploring options for resilience

Panii Jibon (Water is Life) is an initiative led by the HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and implemented in collaboration with its local partners. The project aims to address water-related threats and vulnerabilities of an already-impoverished population living in the disaster-prone coastal areas of Bangladesh. The overall objective of the Panii Jibon project is to build resilience and reduce well-being losses of disadvantaged communities that are affected by climate change. The project strives to particularly help vulnerable women and youth in the disaster-prone areas of South West Bangladesh.

To accomplish the above, ICCCAD undertook an action research study in 2018 in selected project sites (Paikgachha Upazila). The study involved conducting a rapid vulnerability assessment to understand the impacts of climate change, particularly on livelihood and water security as well as on overall well-being in the area.

This report provides a synthesis of findings from the assessment and proposes possible ways forward for building the resilience of targeted communities. The results of the study will serve to guide capacity building and policy advocacy interventions in the following years of the project (2018-2020).