Water in chars : social justice for resilience, inclusive, and productive rural economies

Bangladesh is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries. This study examines how water-based livelihoods, disaster exposure, and institutional neglect shape social justice, dignity, and resilience among northern char dwellers in Bangladesh. Using a qualitative design grounded in Amartya Sen’s capability approach and the sustainable livelihoods framework, comprising 30 in-depth interviews and consultations with five key informants and thematic analysis. Water scarcity and flood-related displacement fall disproportionately on women; disasters routinely damage assets, crops, and livestock; riverbank erosion drives recurring, often permanent displacement; and char residents remain largely excluded from development supports, deepening precarity despite strong traditional ecological knowledge that climate unpredictability is now eroding. Char dwellers’ vulnerability is less a natural consequence of geography than a product of institutional neglect and constrained capabilities. This study strongly recommends a dedicated authority, namely, Chars Development Authority, to identify priorities of rural economies for future longitudinal and quantitative research.