A short-term decrease in household income inequality in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, following Cyclone Aila

Abu Nasar Mohammad Abdullah (), Kerstin Katharina Zander, Bronwyn Myers, Natasha Stacey and Stephen Thomas Garnett
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Abu Nasar Mohammad Abdullah: Charles Darwin University
Kerstin Katharina Zander: Charles Darwin University
Bronwyn Myers: Charles Darwin University
Natasha Stacey: Charles Darwin University
Stephen Thomas Garnett: Charles Darwin University

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2016, vol. 83, issue 2, No 16, 1103-1123

Abstract: Abstract Cyclones are the most common natural disaster in Bangladesh. Here, we assess the economic impact of a relatively small cyclone, Cyclone Aila, which hit the Sundarbans region in 2009 and destroyed local infrastructure including many shrimp farms. In contrast to other studies, we found that the higher-income households in the study area (Koyra sub-district) were more vulnerable in both relative and absolute terms. The average damage costs for high income households were 42 % of the yearly income before Aila, whereas this was only 16 and 15 % for middle- and low-income groups, respectively. Higher-income households were also less resilient than middle- and low-income groups, also something rarely reported in the literature. By engaging in new opportunities, the poorest households, by our calculations, increased their income by 16 % compared to their income before Aila. Middle income households decreased their income slightly (by 4 %), while the income of the richest households dropped by about 50 % after the cyclone. Income was more equally distributed across the population after the cyclone than it was before, in particular in the highly and severely affected areas.

Keywords: Adaptive capacity; Income inequality; Koyra; Mangrove resources; Natural disasters; Resilience; Shrimp farming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-016-2358-1

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