Why this is important: 

• Poorly maintained infrastructure e.g. embankments lead to inundation and salinisation adversely affecting the livelihoods, health, and hygiene of delta communities (especially women and girls). 

• Due to the lack of predictable and sustainable food resources, delta dwellers display higher rates of wasting, malnutrition and stunting, particularly in children. 

• Commercial brackish water aquaculture leads to increased salinity of soil and reduced productivity of agricultural land. 

• Increasing forest dependence in the Sundarbans is leading to increased human-animal conflicts including a documented rise in tiger attacks. 

• The above challenges combine to make it harder for delta communities to maintain their livelihoods. The result is an observed increase in out-migration, especially by youth and men, along with the societal challenges this brings. 

Priorities and steps: 

Researchers, local, regional and national governments agencies, civil society organisations, private sector actors, health organisations and local communities should work together to: 

• Emphasise more sustainable agricultural and aquaculture practices involving mangrove protection and restoration and work with local communities to ensure these practices are viable for them.  

• Establish schemes for effective maintenance of critical infrastructure including embankment and dikes prioritising most-at-risk areas.  

• Consider women’s and girls’ specific needs in any community health initiatives and work with communities to better understand the root causes of out-migration. 

Want more information?  

Click on our Outputs web page here to access more information about what we do and who we work with via a series of informal blogs and other resources, videos, books and booklets and policy briefs. Here you can also easily access our Hub publications in academic journals as well as a series of mid-project case studies.