Living with Flood: A Livelihood Resilience Approach of Rural People in Bihar, India

Abstract

Flood is a perennial problem in the state of Bihar, India with devastating impact on the livelihood of people. In spite of the government’s measures of flood mitigation, households continue to live with sufferings on account of severe damage to their material and non-material assets. In this background, the objectives of the study are (1) to assess the mediating role of risk perception, and flood preparedness between flood experience and livelihood resilience; and, (2) to assess the mediating role of risk perception, and flood preparedness between flood education and livelihood resilience. The primary data were collected from 472 households by using multi-stage random sampling technique from seven blocks in river basins of Ganga and Kosi in the district of Bhagalpur, Bihar. To analyze the data descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling were used. However, risk perception is not found to mediate between flood experiences, flood education, and livelihood resilience. Households adapt the strategy of ‘wait-watch-act’. Households do not perceive flood as a threat but they have learnt to ‘live with flood’ as  a ‘way of life’. The study recommends that the active involvement of the local people can be made mandatory with due consideration to their indigenous knowledge, flood experience, and flood education in order to make flood measures effective and successful.