Pathways Adaptation to Climate Change and Migration: Challenges and Opportunity

Sarabjit Kaur on October 24th, 2016

Migration is a positive trend and it facilitates real development transformation. Migration or movement is our fundamental right to make a move within country for better livelihoods, knowledge. It facilitates to bring more assets, resources technology and tools. It provides better learning environment to expand our research ability and explore innovations towards better well-being along with good remittances. In other words migration creates an avenue for individual and country’s growth.

On the contrary, today’s development ecosystem is not conducive to human being and now it behaved differently. Vulnerability the degree to which people are susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change i.e level of resilience and capacity to cope of community. Persons living in a developing country faced 79 times greater risks of being affected by climate-induced disaster, close to 300 million people affected by climate disasters annually from 2000 to 2004 over 98 percent were living in the developing world.

Climate change is likely to increase mass migration, to put increasing strain on health systems due to an increased incidence of disease, threaten food water & nutrition security, and lead to loss of shelter, land, livelihoods and culture, not to mention the threat of conflict. However, the climate change debate has, so far, given little attention to human justice aspects. The most severe effects of climate change will occur in the poorest countries, which frequently have weak human rights protections. Now time has critical analysis that human rights criteria are included in climate change planning and policies. Now Migration has specific agenda in SDGs-2030 as MDGs was grossly neglected.

The impact of climate change will make the poorest communities across the world poorer. Many of them are already affected by conflict and instability and thus face a dual risk. International Alert’s new research finds that the consequences of climate change will fuel violent conflict, which itself hinders the ability of governments and local communities to adapt to the pressures of climate change.

The relevance of the concept in the Odisha context: “Floods, Droughts, Cyclones, Earth quakes, Tornadoes, Heat waves, Village fire, lightening, , Environmental & health Hazards, foeticides, trafficking Extremists”: What Next?

Odisha unfortunately is in the path way of depressions and cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal during south-west monsoon. With advancement in global warming and climate change, if sea storms acquire greater destructive power as is being forecast, the state will be required to bear the brunt of such storms which means all the gains of development will be washed away in flood/storms waters.

Weather events are very common phenomenon and recurrent droughts , crop loss due flood and drought has forced communities to go out in distress. The extremity of the degree and implications of poverty is experienced by the situation that forces the people to live within a constant state of impoverishment, in circumstances where their most basic human rights, entitlements are need to rethink. There is media reporting that western regions of Odisha are slowly moving towards desertification. . Thus, under the changing climatic situation (arising as a result of natural phenomena and or outcomes of human made developments), the relationship between ecology and sustenance has been badly affected and Risk and vulnerability is getting compounded and disrupting the livelihoods that causes distress migration, child sale and women trafficking with rampant social, mental and physical abuse:

Learn to Live with Change in distressed migration : A small initiative of UDYAMA in Titlagada, Bongamunda of Bolangir district: Titlagada, Muribahal, Bongamunda, Belapda,Khaparakhole blocks of Bolangir is considered as highest distress migration prone blocks of Bolangir because of resource degradation, Erratic rainfall, undulated terrain, fragmented ecology followed by frequency of droughts and disasters has severely affected since last few decades. Considering migration issues as challenge and opportunity,UDYAMA has demonstrated onsite activities at source and destination linkage and its Responsiveness to Social, Ecological Development and Change Management towards mitigating drought, disaster and desertification, Green Energy, protecting environment and connecting livelihood development along w ith few facilitating initiatives on life skill building as matter of safe migration for youth dropouts in Bongamunda and Titlagada in Bolangir district.

Safe migration has a process before beginning of skill building initiatives: Village base line survey, Identification of distress migrant, place where going for what purpose, streams youth may like to develop, validate by local Sarapanch, provision of ID card with registration with counter signature of Sarapanch and UDYAMA representatives . Streams so far conducted based on interest, education and opportunity possible exploration of youth :Masonry, plumbing, electrical, driving, mobile repairing, computer, small vending, nursery raising, dress designing & tailoring etc. whole crux of skill building is to make youths self-employable and facilitate for safe migrate with dignity, skill to learn and earn more. Following are few case repots: 1)Dhanjaya Chandan (17),S/O. Chakrapani Chandan,Silua, Titlagarh, Bolangir: A unemployed youth was in village after unsuccessful in matriculation examination. When he came to know about the motor cycle training organized by UDYAMA in Titlagarh, he enrolled in this trade and successfully completed 4 months training course including practical and theory. Presently he is working in Titlagarh Manaj Garage, earns 300 rupees minimum a day. He is expecting more money to earn after two years of work experience from the same garage. 2)Judhistira Mahanandia (34),S/O- Nityanandia Mahandia,Tyannery (Titlagarh) Mr. Mahanandia is a married man. His family members are 4 including two sons. He was working in a vehicle painting shop. He then joined in the motor cycle repairing training center at Titlagarh, After the four-month course, he started his own small garage near by the painting shop. Presently he is earning a good amount nearly 12000 month to support his family. 3)Mr.Chaitanya Sahu (22) S/O- Manahodho Sahu and Mr. Kundu Sahu (23) S/O- Lambodhar Sahu from Sargiguda village of Titlagarh. After being failed in the matriculation exam, both were wandering un-employed. They got information about the plumbing training. They used to attained the 4 months training class regularly. Now both are engaged in plumbing work under a construction contractor going near and far from Titlagarh to Kesinga, Kontabanji, Sanitala, presently earning a very decent amount 250-350 a day and supporting their family. They have self confident and believed to earn more when they become well experienced and skillful as a plumber.4) Mr. Binod Behera (19) son of Sri Narohari Behera,and Mr. Sudarshan Bagarthi (19) son of Sri. Damodor Bagarthi inhabitants of Deben Pada, when they became failed in Matric Exam. Out of frustration they discontinued study

and wandering here and there. They heard about the Plumbing Training Education. They decided and took admission immediately. Both were regular trainee to training class. Now inside the Titlagarh town they have engaged in plumbing work. Their daily income ranges from Rs. 250-300 .they have more confidence to become a skillful and experienced plumber and earn better amount in future and support their family. 5)Mrs. Harabati Majhi (33) w/o Abelo Majhi, residence of Sargiguda, Titlagarh. Her family is com rising of husband, wife and a son. Her husband works as a peon in a Private Company. His inadequate monthly income of Rs. 4000/- was not enough to manage the family. So she took admission in the Tailoring Training Centre organized by UDYAMA at Titlagarh. She completed four-month training. Her husband brought a second hand sewing machine for her. With that machine she carried out stitching work. Now she is very happy as both wife and husband supporting the family. She hopes to go for costly dress designing both for boys and girls.6) Giridhar Pood (19) son of Sri Sankritan Pood from Maninga village of Titlagarh block is belonging to poor and marginalized family. as a daily wage laborer ..he enrolled for the Mason Training at UDYAMA. There he learnt all techniques on masonry related work during four months. Just completion of training he placed under a contractor for building construction. Presently is getting 300-350 a days income my family gets support. Gradually he is hoping to be well experienced and skilled one and to earn monthly Rs 10000/-.7)I Sri Jodu Barik age about 38, from Pitapadar village of Moniga Grampanchayat, Titlagarh. My family was very marginalised. I used to earn 100/- a days as a wage labourer. I got information regarding mason training. I completed mason training. Now I am working as a second class mason and earning re 350/- a day. Presently my family is little secure financially. Hope in future I will become a s killed mason and earn more.There are many case reports but challenge is that despite several training and skill initiatives ,placement in the district is very difficult. Fact that there has no quick absorption of skilled manpower , but it has facilitated to go out beyond district and now trained youths are bargaining for better wage and few youths are using apps to trace job and employment.