“Adapting Destination Cities: Climate Migrant Resettlement in Mongla, BD

Abstract

Given the saturation of migrants in Bangladeshi mega-cities, regional cities have increasingly become incentivized as an alternative destination, offering increased housing and job security, greater proximity to places of origin, and an overall higher quality of life. This study considers the case study of Mongla, which has received significant attention given its history of receiving labor migrants, its proximity to vulnerable villages by the Sundarbans, and its adaptive capacity. However, housing and water insecurity have become increasingly prevalent in the city, creating an environment of uncertainty for current and future migrants. This study reviews a set of semi-structured interviews with climate and labor migrants to identify what qualities attracted migrants to Mongla, how satisfied they are with the city's services and housing conditions, what they knew about Mongla’s limitations before arriving, and most importantly, whether they feel compelled to migrate again given these limitations. These findings reveal an overwhelming desire to remain in Mongla and encourage co-villagers to migrate as well, even as respondents identify drinking water access, infrastructure, and poor housing conditions as negatively impacting their quality of life. If Mongla is to continue being a standard for migrant-receiving cities, it will need to address these weaknesses before it approaches saturation. Compounded with perspectives from NGOs and Mongla’s mayor, this study explores what migrants find beneficial in the city, and what missing resources would most improve their experience in Mongla.