Authors :
Masud Ul Haque; Dr. Abdur Rashid Ahmed
Volume/Issue :
Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 9 - September
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/mvmn4jv7
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/bdd3c3mh
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25sep229
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Abstract :
The paper reviews the literature on poverty, economic vulnerability and resilience in the char areas of Assam,
where communities are affected by ecological fragility, institutional negligence, and widespread poverty. Based on the
classical literature and new research, including theoretical as well as empirical research across the different countries in the
world, the review focuses on the topics of displacement caused by riverine flood, financial inclusion, livelihood
diversification, social protection, erosion and water conflicts. However, the corpus is mostly descriptive and causes are hardly
inferred and there are few impact evaluations. The critical analysis of the available studies in the article points out the
problem of coverage as well as identifies research gaps, also paying little attention to gender, education, and rigorous impact
assessments. Although the literature together supports a multi-pillar approach to alleviating poverty, much of it falls short
of providing concrete causal mechanisms. This review reveals crucial insights by unfolding the research significances of
future studies and placing the chars of Assam in the global context of climate displacement, unstable livelihoods and inclusive
development. However, reconceptualising study designs around causality and comparability has the potential to create
actionable evidence on inclusive, climate-resilient development within one of the most vulnerable riverine landscapes of
Northeast India.
Keywords :
Economic Vulnerability, Climate Resilience, Livelihood Diversification, Char Areas, Poverty, Displacement, Adaptation and Migration, Assam.
References :
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- Ali Mondal, E. (2019). An overview of social-economic crises of the people of char areas in South Salmara–Mankachar district (Assam). Research Directions, 6(9), 177–178.
- Arfanuzzaman, Md. (2024). Bangladesh’s pathways to climate-resilient development: A methodical review. World Development Sustainability, 4, 100144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2024.100144
- Barman, A., & Bokth, H. (2024). Char Dwellers’ Plight: An Ethnographic Study of Erosion Induced Displacement in Nalbari, Assam, India. ECOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION, 30(Suppl), S288–S295. https://doi.org/10.53550/eec.2024.v30i05s.045
- Crow, B. (1982). Appropriating the Brahmaputra: Onward march of India’s rich peasants. Economic and Political Weekly, 17(52), 2097–2101. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4371704
- Directorate of Char Areas Development, Assam. (2025). History. Government of Assam. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from Directorate of Char Areas Development website: https://dircad.assam.gov.in/about-us/history-0
- Elahi, A. (2023). The Economic Status and Poverty of Residents in the Char Region of Assam. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), 10(12), b157–b166.
- Ghosh, N., & Bandyopadhyay, J. (2009). A scarcity value-based explanation of trans-boundary water disputes: The case of the Cauvery River Basin in India. Water Policy, 11(2), 141–167. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2009.017
- Ghosh, T., Bhandari, G., & Hazra, S. (2003). Application of a 'bio-engineering' technique to protect Ghoramara Island (Bay of Bengal) from severe erosion. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 9(2), 171–178. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25098423
- Gogoi, J., & Siddique, N. (2023). Flood, displacement and politics: The Assam chapter. Economic and Political Weekly (Engage), 58(1). https://www.epw.in/engage/article/flood-displacement-and-politics-assam-chapter
- Hussain, M. (2014). Char lands: Utilizing an overlooked agricultural resource to adapt to climate change in Bangladesh. 5th Divisional Conference, CBA. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343812408
- Islam, M., & Braden, J. B. (2006). Bio-economic development of floodplains: Farming versus fishing in Bangladesh. Environment and Development Economics, 11(1), 95–126. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44378944
- Kumar, B., & Das, D. (2019). Livelihood of the char dwellers of western Assam. Indian Journal of Human Development, 13(1), 90–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973703019839808
- Maity, S., & Sahu, T. N. (2021). Financial inclusion in north-eastern region: an investigation in the state of Assam. Vilakshan - XIMB Journal of Management, 19(2), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.1108/xjm-09-2020-0118
- Maity, S., & Sarania, R. (2017). Does microfinance alleviate poverty and inequality? Studying self-help groups in Bodoland, Assam. Development in Practice, 27(7), 1006–1019. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2017.1355353
- Raha, D., Davies-Vollum, K. S., Hemstock, S. L., Boateng, I., Islam, M. T., & Pierce, C. A. E. (2024). We need collaboration and co-creation to address challenges facing coastal communities. Nature Human Behaviour, 8(5), 814–822. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01875-y
- Saikia, M., & Mahanta, R. (2023). Livestock, livestock loss and livelihood: a note on Mishing char dwellers of Assam. Society Register, 7(4), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.14746/sr.2023.7.4.04
- Saikia, M., & Mahanta, R. (2024). An application of adjusted livelihood vulnerability index to assess vulnerability to climate change in the char areas of Assam, India. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103, 104330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104330
- Saikia, M., & Mahanta, R. (2024). Institutions’ adaptability in reducing vulnerability: a study in the char lands of Assam. Environment Systems and Decisions, 44(4), 810–835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-024-09973-y
- Saikia, M., & Mahanta, R. (2024). Riverbank Erosion and vulnerability – A study on the char dwellers of Assam, India. Natural Hazards Research, 4(2), 274–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nhres.2023.10.007
- Saikia, M., & Mahanta, R. (2025). An assessment of the nature and structure of institutions in the char areas of Assam, India. Asian Ethnicity, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2025.2459776
- Sheikh, S. A., & Datta, K. (2019). Poverty and Microfinance in Char Areas of Dhubri District in Assam. In Advances in Finance, Accounting, and Economics (pp. 386–401). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5240-6.ch019
- Silchenko, D., & Murray, U. (2023). Migration and climate change – The role of social protection. Climate Risk Management, 39, 100472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100472
The paper reviews the literature on poverty, economic vulnerability and resilience in the char areas of Assam,
where communities are affected by ecological fragility, institutional negligence, and widespread poverty. Based on the
classical literature and new research, including theoretical as well as empirical research across the different countries in the
world, the review focuses on the topics of displacement caused by riverine flood, financial inclusion, livelihood
diversification, social protection, erosion and water conflicts. However, the corpus is mostly descriptive and causes are hardly
inferred and there are few impact evaluations. The critical analysis of the available studies in the article points out the
problem of coverage as well as identifies research gaps, also paying little attention to gender, education, and rigorous impact
assessments. Although the literature together supports a multi-pillar approach to alleviating poverty, much of it falls short
of providing concrete causal mechanisms. This review reveals crucial insights by unfolding the research significances of
future studies and placing the chars of Assam in the global context of climate displacement, unstable livelihoods and inclusive
development. However, reconceptualising study designs around causality and comparability has the potential to create
actionable evidence on inclusive, climate-resilient development within one of the most vulnerable riverine landscapes of
Northeast India.
Keywords :
Economic Vulnerability, Climate Resilience, Livelihood Diversification, Char Areas, Poverty, Displacement, Adaptation and Migration, Assam.