Community-based flood vulnerability and adaptation assessment: A case study from Bangladesh

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2007, 2012:11) warned that the mega deltas in South Asia (e.g. the Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna River Basin) will be at great risk due to increased flooding, and the region's poverty would reduce the capacity of the inhabitants to adapt to change. This paper provides a »bottom up» impact approach which focuses on a methodological contribution for assessment of vulnerability and adaptation (V & A) in a riverine flood-prone area, »Islampur» in Bangladesh, where various impact assessment guidelines have been taken into consideration. In this study the evaluation of V & A assessments at community level has been accomplished mainly by a weighted matrix index value derived from two participatory rapid appraisals (PRAs). Based on the distribution pattern of various weighted value indices of V & A issues, the required adaptation techniques can be adopted for immediate policy-making, and appropriate actions should be undertaken through establishing community-based adaptation committees (CBAC).