IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND COPING
MECHANISMS OF URBAN POOR: A CASE STUDY ON
THE DHAKA CITY’S SLUM DWELLERS

Dhaka, the capital and only megacity of Bangladesh, is exposed to multiple types of climate-
induced hazards including variations in temperature, excessive and erratic rainfall, water
logging, heat and cold waves. These hazards negatively effect on city life and livelihoods
of the poor. This study is a quantitative study conducted at Dhaka to review climate change
effects on the slum people. This study uses two slums in Dhaka- Karail slum at Mohakhali,
Basila slum at Mohammadpur, for climate change impacts of the poor livelihood. The study
conducted on slum of Dhaka with purposive sample survey, face to face interview of slum
people while purposive sample size of 50. The study uses semi-structured interview
schedule to collect data from local people in two slums. The result shows that the poor slum
dwellers livelihood are usually vulnerable to extreme temperature as well as water logging
due to urban institutional inefficiencies. Climate change makes them more vulnerable. The
study also shows the trend of gradual and extreme weather change is particularly negative
for the livelihood of the urban poor in Dhaka. The major impacts of climate change are
damaging of shelter and other household assets, unavailability and polluting of water,
suffering from diseases like diarrhea, scabies and fever etc. problem of sanitation and loss
of work or income.
To cope up with the climate impacts they use saving and sometimes cut off their daily meal.
They somehow sustain with the situation as the extreme events are unstoppable and cannot
be changed. The increasing problem of water logging, sewerage and sanitation in Dhaka
city can be improved by ensuring pre planed urbanization. The study suggests a harsh need
to address these challenges institutional and policy perspective.