Coastal West Bengal is a multi-hazard zone, vulnerable to climate extremes. In 2020, Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan devastated the coastal districts of South and North 24 Parganas. At the heart of this region lies the Sundarbans—an ecological hotspot rich in biodiversity and natural resources, where livelihoods depend heavily on fishing and foraging in mangrove forests.
However, despite its abundance, the Sundarbans is extremely fragile and unsuitable for sustained human habitation. The ecosystem is being pushed to the brink by poverty, overpopulation, and a lack of environmental awareness and sustainable livelihoods. These pressures intensify the effects of climate change and make both the ecosystem and its people increasingly vulnerable.
On May 20, 2020, Cyclone Amphan made landfall in West Bengal around 2:30 PM IST. Though it weakened from a super cyclone to an extremely severe cyclonic storm, it was the fiercest in 100 years. With storm surges up to 5 meters, vast areas were inundated with saline water, cutting off communication lines and damaging infrastructure. The National Disaster Response Force and state agencies evacuated around five lakh people. The storm destroyed homes, crops, electric poles, and transportation networks.
Just as communities began to rebuild, Cyclone Yaas struck in May 2021, undoing much of the recovery efforts. It was a brutal reminder of how climate injustice manifests—not just in rising temperatures or melting glaciers, but in the repeated destruction of poor, vulnerable lives.
One such story is that of Chandana Mondal and her son Raja, who try to hold on to what little remains of their home. Their village on Rupamari Island, surrounded by the Goureswar and Dasha rivers, is now frequently overrun by tidal surges. In the face of repeated cyclones, rising sea levels, and land erosion, even newly constructed mud and bamboo embankments have failed to hold back the water.
“The sea often rises above the barriers during high tide and floods our homes,” Chandana says, pointing to where the river used to be before Cyclone Aila in 2007. “After Amphan in 2020, a new embankment was built, but it still can’t stop the water.”
The Sundarbans comprises 102 islands, nearly half of which are inhabited—for now. The constant encroachment of the sea has forced many to live in temporary shelters. Chandana and her family, like many others, live in tarpaulin tents on slightly higher ground, unable to afford land elsewhere.
“We have no money to buy new land. We’re poor people,” she says. “No paddy cultivation for two major seasons. We’re surviving on government rations.”
Even worse than natural disasters, she adds, is the politicization of embankment construction. “We thought COVID-19 was bad,” she sighs, “but the corruption around these embankments is worse.”
Chandana’s story echoes those of countless others living on the frontlines of climate change in the Sundarbans. Here, humans and wildlife—particularly the Royal Bengal Tiger—are being squeezed into shrinking spaces, leading to deadly consequences. And as the sea advances year after year, the very survival of these communities hangs in the balance.
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