INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
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Socio-Economic Changes in Sagar Island before and After Cyclone
Aila
Pranabesh Giri
Assistant Professor, Sundarban Hazi Desarat College, West Bengal, India
ABSTRACT
Cyclone Aila, which struck the coastal belt of West Bengal on 25 May 2009, was one of the most devastating
disasters in the history of Sundarbans. Among the worst affected regions was Sagar Island, a densely populated
part of the delta. The cyclone not only caused massive physical destruction but also reshaped the socio-economic
fabric of the island. Before Aila, the economy of Sagar was largely dependent on agriculture, fishing, shrimp
farming, and forest resources, while society maintained a rural, resource dependent lifestyle marked by kinship
ties and limited infrastructure. After Aila, Stalinization of agricultural land, collapse of fisheries, widespread
migration, emergence of alternative livelihoods, and social disruptions created a new reality for the islanders.
Using government reports, published academic/NGO work, and field testimonies, this article analyses in detail
the socio-economic conditions before the cyclone, the devastation caused by Aila, and the long-term
transformations that followed. The study concludes that while the disaster intensified vulnerabilities, it also
generated resilience, diversification of livelihoods, and policy attention, thereby reshaping Sagar Island’s
socio-economic trajectory.
Key Words: Aila; Agriculture; Fisheries; Stalinization; Migration; Gender; Adaptive Strategies; Policy;
INTRODUCTION
The Sundarbans, spread across India and Bangladesh, is the world’s largest delta and mangrove ecosystem.
Located at the confluence of the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers, it is home to millions who rely on
fertile soil, abundant water bodies, and forest resources. Within this region lies Sagar Island, the largest
inhabited estuarine island of West Bengal. The island is historically significant for the Gangasagar pilgrimage
but is also highly vulnerable to cyclones, tidal surges, Stalinization, erosion, and climate change.
Cyclone Aila struck on 25 May 2009, with wind speeds around 120–140 km/h and heavy tidal surges. It brought
unprecedented destruction, killing many, displacing thousands, and severely damaging agriculture, fisheries,
infrastructure, and housing. For Sagar Island, Aila was not merely a temporary calamity but a turning point that
altered livelihoods, social relations, and development trajectories.
This article investigates how socio-economic conditions in Sagar Island transformed before and after Cyclone
Aila. It first describes pre-Aila economic and social systems, then documents immediate and long-term impacts,
and finally analyses post-Aila changes, adaptive strategies, and policy implications.
METHODOLOGY
The analysis is based on:
1. Government Reports – including damage assessments by the Government of West Bengal and district
level disaster management offices.
2. Published Academic and NGO Studies – research by institutions working in and around Sundarbans,
including geoinformatics studies, livelihood studies, and climate vulnerability reports.
3. Media and News Reports – for more recent updates about land loss, embankment damage, migration,
etc.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
ISSN No. 2454-6194 | DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS |Volume X Issue IX September 2025
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 359
4. Field Testimonies – oral histories and interviews from local inhabitants, especially women and youth
(as available from secondary sources), supplemented by local NGO survey reports.
Where possible, quantitative data (area lost, proportion of households affected, migration rates) have been
integrated to strengthen the empirical basis.
Socio-Economic Conditions Before Aila
Economic Structure
Agriculture: Paddy cultivation (including aman and boro), pulses, oilseeds, vegetables. Irrigation was
limited; often rain fed, with occasional freshwater flooding and tidal inundation.
Fisheries & Shrimp Farming: Fishing in rivers and the Bay of Bengal was a major livelihood. Shrimp
farming (especially in ponds) had become profitable for some households.
Forest Resources: Collection of honey, crabs, fuel wood, fish fry, edible forest products and forest
grazing were supplementary livelihoods.
Wage Labour & Seasonal Migration: Some seasonal out-migration existed (to nearby towns) mainly
among landless or marginal farmers.
Social Structure
Family & Kinship: Joint and extended families were common; support networks often mediated access
to shared resources, labour, loans.
Education & Health: Literacy was lower than the state average; many villages had primary schools but
secondary education often required travel. Health infrastructure was modest; clinics were basic,
sometimes distant; outbreaks of diseases (waterborne especially) during monsoon periods were common.
Housing & Infrastructure: Many houses were “kacha” (mud, bamboo, thatch); roads often unpaved;
embankments existed but were weak and intermittently maintained; electricity, clean water and sanitation
were limited.
Impact of Cyclone Aila
Cyclone Aila caused widespread devastation. Key areas of impact:
Physical Destruction
Thousands of “kacha” houses destroyed or damaged.
Embankments breached in many places; some embankments washed away. For example, in Sagar Island
about 84 km of embankment had been strengthened after Aila; but many embankments remained
damaged or partially damaged.
Roads, communication, electricity infrastructure shattered.
Agriculture and Fisheries
Saline water ingress from tidal surges flooded farmlands. Many paddy fields remained uncultivable for
years because of high salinity.
Shrimp farms/pisciculture ponds were destroyed; livestock perished in many cases.
Soil fertility dropped; in some areas, soil salinity reached high depths after Aila.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
ISSN No. 2454-6194 | DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS |Volume X Issue IX September 2025
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Social and Human Impacts
Displacement of families; many lived in relief camps for weeks/months.
Disruption of food supply, safe drinking water; spread of waterborne disease.
Education disrupted: schools damaged; children unable to attend for long periods.
Psychological trauma, especially among women, children, elderly. Loss of livelihoods forced shifts in
gender roles and family dynamics.
Socioeconomic Changes After Aila
This section integrates the quantitative and qualitative shifts, focusing on Sagar Island where data is available,
and using comparative insights when needed.
Economic Shifts
1. Loss of Land and Stalinization:
o Between 2009 and 2019, Sagar Island’s area reduced from ~246.76 km² to ~230.98 km² – a decline of
nearly over a decade.
o Land erosion, sea level rise (~3-8 mm/year locally) has exacerbated soil salinity and loss of fertile lands.
2. Migration:
o While precise numbers for Sagar immediately post-Aila are less documented, in the broader Sundarbans,
many families shifted permanently or seasonally. For example, “climate refugees” from nearby islands
moved into Sagar Island.
o Across wider environmental disasters in Sundarbans, studies (though in Bangladesh) show that migrant
households recovered somewhat faster in terms of income and housing than non-migrant households.
3. Alternative Livelihoods and Adaptive Strategies:
o NGOs and government schemes introduced saline tolerant or flood tolerant crop varieties; small
vegetable gardens using pump irrigation or raised beds.
o Self-help Groups (SHGs) for women began producing handicrafts, duck/poultry rearing, beekeeping
where feasible.
o Some concrete / semi-pucca houses replaced former mud dwellings.
o Embankment reconstruction and strengthening projects were carried out; in Sagar, the government
committed funds and projects (e.g., Rs 1,339 core allocated, partially disbursed) for reinforcing
embankments and for using geo-tube technology to stabilize eroding coasts
4. Changes in Income Patterns:
o Increasing dependence on wage labour (off farm) and remittances from migrated family members.
o Decline in incomes from agriculture and fisheries — some previous farmer households shifted to day‐
labouring or labour outside the island.
o Loss of livestock and constraints on grazing and fodder made animal husbandry less reliable.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
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Social & Gendered, Intergenerational Changes
Gender Roles: Women became more visible in income generation through SHGs, handicrafts, small
poultry or duck rearing, and managing household budgets when men migrated. However, they also bore
the burden of care giving, recovery work, and resources often stretched thin.
Children & Youth: Education was disrupted—school closure or attendance drops. Some younger people
migrated for work, or delayed schooling. Early marriage in some cases rose among poor families under
economic stress.
Household/family structure: Migration has changed family dynamics: joint families more often split,
with men away—this increased decision-making by women but sometimes weakened traditional kinship
support systems.
Psychological & Community Effects: Long-term insecurity, sense of loss, and increased inequality.
Households with land or better access to credit or NGOs fared better; poorer, women headed, landless
households more vulnerable.
Comparative Insights
Comparisons with nearby islands / regions (e.g. Gosaba, Ghoramara, Mousuni) show similar patterns of land
loss, embankment damage, Stalinization, and migration. However, variation is evident based on access to relief,
NGO support, infrastructure, and geography:
Islands with stronger NGO presence and better embankment protection had somewhat faster recovery of
agriculture post-Aila.
Sagar, being a major inhabited island, had somewhat more visibility in government policy but also bore
heavier burden due to population density and pilgrimage tourism (Gangasagar) which required more
infrastructure.
DISCUSSION
The long-term transformations on Sagar Island reveal a dual reality:
Increased Vulnerability:
Agriculture and fisheries have not fully bounced back; land degradation from salinity and erosion continues.
Frequent cyclones and storm surges, rising sea levels (3-8 mm/year) worsen risk. Poverty remains, especially
among landless, marginal farmers, women headed households, and those without connections or resources
to migrate. Infrastructure (roads, health, education) remains weak in many mouzas (administrative units),
especially southern ones with high exposure.
Emerging Resilience & Adaptation:
Local people have diversified livelihoods. Women’s SHGs, small enterprises, seasonal migration &
remittances have become vital. Community and government efforts have strengthened embankments,
improved housing, and raised awareness of disaster preparedness. Use of salt tolerant crop varieties and
improved drainage in fields shows promise.
There is evidence that migration, while stressful, has also become a coping strategy; households who
could migrate sometimes fared better in rebuilding. But migration has social costs: family separation,
loss of kin support, challenges for children’s education, especially for girls.
Policy Implications & Recommendations
To build on the resilience and address long run vulnerabilities, the following policy and practice
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
ISSN No. 2454-6194 | DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS |Volume X Issue IX September 2025
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Page 362
recommendations are suggested:
1. Strengthen Embankments & Coastal Protection:
o Use climate resilient engineering (e.g., gesture, reinforced concrete, mangrove buffer zones).
o Regular maintenance, community monitoring of embankment conditions.
o Restore and protect mangrove forests as natural storm buffers.
2. Promote Climate Resilient Agriculture & Land Use:
o Introduce and disseminate more salt/flood tolerant crop varieties; encourage raised bed cultivation,
hydroponic or floating gardens in waterlogged zones.
o Improve drainage systems to remove ingress of saline water.
o Soil reclamation practices: periodic washing of soils by fresh water, liming, etc.
3. Livelihood Diversification & Support:
o Expand SHGs, especially women’s groups, with better access to microcredit, market linkages, and
training.
o Promote small-scale aquaculture, poultry/duck rearing, honey/beekeeping, handicrafts.
o Skill training for youth in non-farm sectors (construction, services), to reduce dependence purely on
agriculture.
4. Education, Health & Social Support:
o Ensure school continuity post disasters: resilient school infrastructure and emergency plans.
o Provide psychosocial support for vulnerable groups (women, children).
o Health-care outreach especially for disease prevention after flooding and Stalinization.
5. Migration Policy & Support Systems:
o Recognize migration as adaptation: provide support (skills training, safe migration routes, remittance
facilitation).
o Social safety nets for non-migrants and those unable to migrate.
o Encourage local employment opportunities to reduce forced migration.
6. Data Collection, Monitoring & Research:
o Detailed quantitative surveys on land loss, salinity levels, income losses, migration rates specific to Sagar
Island.
o Map risk zones (mouzas) by exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity (building on geoinformatics studies).
o Longitudinal studies of intergenerational outcomes (education, health, income).
CONCLUSION
Cyclone Aila was a watershed moment for Sagar Island. Before Aila, the economy was predominantly
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN APPLIED SCIENCE (IJRIAS)
ISSN No. 2454-6194 | DOI: 10.51584/IJRIAS |Volume X Issue IX September 2025
www.rsisinternational.org
Page 363
subsistence, resource based, with social structures rooted in kinship; infrastructure was weak, but people had
adapted to the delta environment in limited ways. Aila shattered many of those foundations: land, livelihoods,
homes, and social ties were disrupted.
However, from this calamity has arisen a range of adaptive responses. Livelihoods have diversified; women have
become more actively involved in income generation and community leadership; migration has become a coping
strategy; and policy attention has increased. Yet, the threat is far from over: rising sea levels, continued erosion,
climate change, and repeated storms mean that vulnerabilities are ongoing.
For Sagar Island to secure a sustainable and stable future, investments in resilient infrastructure, climate adapted
livelihoods, inclusive social policies, and robust data and monitoring are essential. In particular, policies must
be gender sensitive, intergeneration ally aware, and locally grounded. Only then can the people of Sagar Island
move beyond survival and toward a future in which disasters are met with strength, not despair.
REFERENCES
1. Government of West Bengal. (2009). Cyclone Aila Damage Report. Kolkata.
2. Danda, A. A. (2010). Sundarbans and Aila: The Aftermath. Journal of Indian Ocean Studies.
3. Banerjee, S., & Roy, N. (2011). Impact of Aila on the Livelihood of Coastal Communities in Sundarbans.
4. WWF-India. (2010). Community-Based Adaptation in the Sundarbans.
5. ActionAid & Save the Children Reports (2009–2012)..
6. Saha,Senjuti & Ghosh, Tuhin .THE CHANGING PATTERN OF LIVELIHOOD IN SAGAR ISLAND,
WEST BENGAL, INDIA
7. Bhattacharjee, Asmita & Dr.Dhara Satyajit NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS: MANAGEMENT
AT SAGAR ISLAND OF SOUTH 24 PARGANAS DISTRICT
8. SahanaMehebub .Ten years after Cyclone Aila, inhabitants of Sundarbans are still waiting for rehabilitation
9. Oral testimonies collected from residents of Sagar Island in published field surveys
10. Vulnerability and Risk Assessment to Climate Change in Sagar Island, India (MDPI)
11. “Shrinking Sagar Island struggles to stay afloat” – Dialogue Earth
12. “Ten years after Cyclone Aila, inhabitants of Sundarbans are still waiting for rehabilitation” – Cafe Dissensus
13. “Saline water will continue to haunt farms in Sunderbans” – Hindustan Times
