Climate change linked to poverty, trafficking in the Sundarbans
Battered by five cyclones in the past four years, vulnerable communities along West Bengal’s coastline are subjected to graver risks, finds ILFAT, a federation of trafficking survivors
Despite several interventions by the government and efforts of non-government organisations, trafficking continues to be a major policy challenge in certain parts of West Bengal. With frequent cyclones hitting the West Bengal coastline every year, and the rise in the sea level eroding the islands of the Sundarbans, experts say climate change is one of the factors pushing people into poverty and driving trafficking.

Five tropical cyclones have battered the West Bengal coastline since May 2020, when cyclone Amphan devastated the coastal areas of West Bengal, causing loss of livelihoods and triggering migration. The most recent among them was cyclone Dana, which hit the State’s coastline on October 24, 2024.