27m Bangladeshis at risk of sea-level rise: Brac

Around 27 million people are ‘predicted to be at risk’ of sea-level rise in Bangladesh by 2050, says Brac in a report.

“Climate change is a concern now affecting every one of us and Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable to its effects,” said the non-government organisation in its Annual Report 2016, according to UNB.

Two-thirds of the country is less than five metres above sea level, and floods are increasingly destroying homes, croplands and damaging infrastructure.

Approximately 10,000 hectares of land is lost every year due to riverbank erosion, Brac said mentioning that agriculture land is shrinking by 1 per cent annually while the population is growing by 1.2 per cent.

This is creating a rise in demand for food, while increasingly unpredictable weather conditions pose a growing challenge to farmers trying to meet those demands, reads the Annual Report. 

“Our scale, ongoing action research, and depth of engagement give us a unique opportunity to support communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change and recover from disasters.”

Brac said they support communities to build resilience, respond to disasters and rebuild.

“Beyond our work on the ground, we advocate on a national level for collaborative approaches and coordinate with local governments on our activities.”

Focusing on employable skills for decent work, the report said some 2.2 million young people enter Bangladesh’s workforce every year but three out of every four business leaders report that skilled workers are scarce.

“Young face in Bangladesh face a precious future, despite living in one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” it said.

Over 2 million people enter the potential labour force annually but two out of every five young people are not in employment, education, or training, said the report.

Brac report claimed that approximately ten million young people are currently unemployed or underemployed.

According to the Brac, more than 7555,000 people left for overseas jobs in 2016.

Economic migrants face myriad challenges from high fees charged by recruitment agencies to low wages, lack of information on migration opportunities and risks, exploitation and abuse, it said.

On gender issues, the report said eight out of 10 married women in Bangladesh experience violence at least once in their lifetime.

Some 32 per cent of currently married, employed women who earn cash make decisions mainly by themselves on how to use their own earnings, the report said.