Introduction
Displacement refers to the situation where people are forced to leave their homes due to violence, natural disaster, persecution, conflict and human rights violation. Forced displacement is the most common form of displacement imposed by government and international bodies as and when untoward situation arises. More than 40 million people are currently displaced from their homeland or displaced due to armed conflicts (iDMC Publications 2013). These types of displacements often done on emergency basis are many a time executed in a complete unplanned manner. Any plan related to rehabilitation or mitigation of social impacts is taken into consideration after the displacement. Due to natural disasters millions are displaced every year from their homes and such natural catastrophe induced displacement operation is carried out on an emergency basis. It is not always possible to gauge where the next big natural catastrophe will strike. However, there are places more prone to natural disasters than others. Statistical data is readily available in the hands of municipalities and governments to mark the areas that are more likely to suffer from natural disaster. Many a time government and municipalities become successful to make a backup plan for displacement before a natural disaster strikes. Displacement induced by natural disaster is similar in many ways with other type of forced displacement but it involves its own problems and benefits. This essay will discuss upon the challenges faced by the government in case of a disaster driven displacement and the social ramifications arising out of such displacement.
Types of Disasters
There are several types of natural disasters. Natural disasters can be broadly categorized into three sub groups - sudden-impact, slow-onset and epidemic diseases. Sudden Impact disasters include earthquakes, floods, storms, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves and landslides. Floods are the most common of the sudden impact disaster. Floods contribute to a large population migration and huge loss of food and agricultural products. Earthquakes on the other hand cause maximum number of deaths and huge infrastructural loss. Slow-onset disaster includes draughts, environmental degradation, deforestation, pest infestation, famine and desertification. These disasters are the outcome of adverse weather condition for a sustained period of time or poor land use (The World Bank 2011). These two types of disasters are on a rise due to the changing weather pattern across the world. Hundreds of millions people get affected by natural disasters every year. Millions of those displaced from their homes are forced by the circumstances to start life afresh at a new place. In many cases government does not provide support to them few months after the disaster.
Social Costs and Impacts of Disaster Driven Displacement
Though displacement is often required in times of disaster but it is never easy for those getting displaced. It is not easy for anyone to leave behind their home to start life afresh in a completely new place. Disaster driven displacement often leads to a slew of social ramifications.
- Loss of Land, Housing and Property
If an area is affected by a natural disaster, the municipality first tries to protect life by displacing people to a safe place. On some situations the land or property is temporarily unavailable to the displaced people. After the disaster is over people can go back to their home land (The World Bank 2011). For example, after hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in New Orleans, its residents who were evacuated to a safe place were allowed back to the city (Levine 2007). In such cases though land may be still available to the displaced people, there often involves a huge loss of property. In some other cases even the land may not be available after the disaster. For example, after Tsunami some part of the north shoreline of Indonesia, which was previously inhabited by people, went under water leading to a loss of land, housing and property by innumerable people.
After the immediate aftermath of a disaster is over, people choose different directions to cope up with their loss. Some want to go back to their land and want to rebuild everything from the scratch. Some people desiring to start life afresh elsewhere do not want to go back to their land. A person who was rich with several properties under possession before the disaster can suddenly become poor. Several people become homeless overnight losing money, property and everything they hold dear. However, the monetary loss is markedly different for rich people turning poor and common people turning homeless. The main challenge for the government is to restore the society and its people to its former position as much as possible. To do that they need to assess property recovery cost, compensation, restitution and exchange for each individual. For example, decisions related to whether or not the municipality should provide equal compensation to everyone after the disaster or differentiate based on individual conditions before the disaster are weighed upon. Often governments being unable to handle these situations properly end up spending a lot of money without obtaining a great result. However, it has been mandated by the World Bank and by the governments of some countries that providing ownership to land, property or housing to the affected people is instrumental to a successful program after a disaster because many families are able to start afresh when they have some property at their disposal (The World Bank 2011). Therefore, it is utmost important that the municipalities make a plan to provide back the lost properties in an operable condition to the affected people or provide them with new properties to help start life afresh.
- Loss of Job
Providing some kind of property in short term or long term often does not solve the problem after displacement. One of the main issues is to create an environment where the displaced have a sustainable livelihood. This can be done by helping the displaced return home or integrate elsewhere. But it is often seen that after a disaster the place where the disaster struck falls into an abysmal condition of slow growth and limited job opportunities. As a result displaced people often need to acquire new skills to enter the job market and this is not always easy because acquisition of new skills and self-development involves monetary investment. Therefore, alongside providing properties to the displaced people, the government should take measures to help them develop suitable skills to make a livelihood (iDMC and NRC 2011).
II. Marginalization
Owing to sudden natural disasters many families lose their economic stability during the crisis and spiral into a downward path. Many individuals get into the trap of economic downturn because the skill which was beneficial for them in the earlier location often is not used in the new location of displacement. In such case human capital is lost or remains inactive. Economic marginalization is often followed by social and psychological marginalization.
III. Food Insecurity
Forced displacement due to natural disaster often causes food scarcity among the displaced population. Although government or international bodies try to provide food immediately after the displacement but in most of the cases the food provided to the displaced population is basic and good enough only to survive. Food nourishment is compromised to a great extent, leading to a great many people falling sick and unable to work (iDMC 2007).
IV. Increased Mortality
The psychological stress associated with displacement to a new location make many people fall into depression which results in their untimely death at times. Furthermore, due to the usage of common and unsafe water supply and sewage system, many epidemics strike the displaced population adding to the mortality rate (iDMC and NRC 2011).
V. Social Disintegration
Displacement causes huge shift in the existing pattern of social structure for the society. The breakdown occurs at many levels. People lose production systems, informal networks, trade linkages (iDMC and NRC 2011). They lose social status and security.
VI. Other types of Social issues
There are several other factors to be considered by the administration and governing bodies while displacing a population. For example, women need extra security in the displacement camps. Often it is seen that the rate of rape in the displaced location is very high due to social disintegration and less structured law and order (Sekhawat 2013). Loss of access to schooling, violence from new neighbors and risks of race, religion or communal riots are also issues that need consideration before displacement (Cooper 2012).
Conclusion
Displacement is a complex social process. Authorities often underestimate the total social costs of displacement. Displacement is not about saving life from a short term natural disaster. If after displacement people are not provided a sustainable livelihood then the very purpose of saving life from a natural disaster loses its meaning. There are several different types of social factors affecting the displacement process. For example, loss of land and property is one of the most common losses in a disaster. How to compensate for that loss is a big decision for the authorities. Additionally, joblessness, marginalization, food insecurity, psychological problems, increased mortality rate, social disintegration, abuse of human rights and loss of schooling are some of the other big factors that affect the lives of the displaced people. Just providing a new land and a new house often is not enough as displaced people often struggle to survive in a new environment. This is why the government should weigh in all socials costs before coming to its final displacement strategy before and after disaster.
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