Dynamism in the ‘Char’ Lands of Bangladesh:Field Level Realities

Abstract

As opposed to the popular belief that people started living in Char lands to accommodate increasing population and helpless victims of river erosions, controversies remain on the trends in settlement and development interventions. Hence, this study aimed at exploring the field level realities concerning trends in dwellers’ settlement and development intervention in a Northern river Char ‘Pepulia’ and in a Southern river estuarine Chars ‘Char Wadel’. Along with government officials, in Pepulia, data had been collected from the personnel and beneficiaries of Chars Livelihoods Programme and River Basin Programme; in Char Wadel, from those of Specially Targeted Ultra Poor Programme and Disaster Preparedness and Rehabilitation Management Project. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the study discovered the realities (facts) regarding settlement in Char lands and development interventions. This study has practical implication as it demands immediate attention of the academia and practitioners for ensuring sustainable and topical development interventions