Sundarbans is a global climate hotspot, and the region remains trapped in a cycle of devastation and recovery.
Words Dr. Anshu Sharma and Samhita R
Once again, a cyclonic storm has battered the Sundarbans. The region has a long history of storms, with Cyclone Bhola, the deadliest cyclone recorded in history, killing half a million people in 1970. Cyclonic storms are not new to Sundarbans. In 2024, it’s Remal, while in 2020, it was Amphan. People, the economy, and the ecosystem are reeling as relief and recovery measures mobilize.
Sundarbans is a global climate hotspot, and the region remains trapped in a cycle of devastation and recovery. Critical issues such as rising sea levels, erosion, human-wildlife conflict, and economic challenges plague this region. The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its immediate vulnerable fringes are home to over seven million inhabitants across India and Bangladesh.
A unique challenge in resilience planning is the dynamic nature of both the hazard and vulnerability. The nature of the storms and the sea is changing, and the landform is constantly evolving. All dimensions of risk—physical, social, environmental, and economic—are dynamic. Entire settlements have been engulfed by the sea in coastal Bangladesh and India in recent years.
Building resilience to natural disasters requires unprecedented approaches. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and built-environment intelligence, Sundarbans could be equipped with data-based know-how of high risk, medium risk and low risk regions.
STS Global, partnered with Resilience AI, a Tech4Impact start-up to use an AI-based climate risk determination tool to identify the cyclone risk exposure of Sundarbans. The tool identified 5700 buildings in a territory of 11600 buildings as high-risk zones in Gosaba block, Kultali block, and Patharpratima of South 24 Parganas. Early impact advisories to populations through phones and television on how to safeguard their livestock, livelihood and lives is a Tech4Community intervention.
Automated and near-real-time impact information to relief actors, and populations, could support the mobilization of early relief in the moderate risk zones, such as emergency route plans to road transport actors and railways to transfer population from high and moderate risk zones to interim emergency centres in the low-risk zones and low-risk emergency centre map in the moderate risk zones.
Based on a household survey conducted in 2020–2021 as part of a study “Cyclone induced coastal vulnerability of Matla–Bidya inter-estuarine area, Indian Sundarban”, the post-event effect of the cyclone on livelihood was in agriculture, fishing, and shrimp culture. Livelihood is more severely impacted for
coastal villagers as compared to inland dwellers. The economic impact of Cyclone Amphan in 2020 was staggering, resulting in losses estimated at USD 14 billion. It took more than 18 months for telecommunication, property, and aquaculture in the coastal areas to recover.
Data-based planning and utilization of disaster and planning funds, data-based livelihood financing, mangrove regeneration and resilient homes are four crucial steps toward making the Sundarbans cyclone-resilient. For the longer run, effective relocation and rehabilitation strategies will need to be
formulated for those living on the most vulnerable of the islands, where even the best of resilience investments cannot yield the minimum safety needed for human habitation.
Access to data, knowledge of built environment, and technology are essential to measure, monitor, and address this complex and constantly changing risk landscape. AI is still a new tool, but immensely potent. We need ethical AI, environmental AI, AI for the built environment, and humanitarian AI—AI for all things.
On this World Environment Day, it is essential to harness the power of technology to protect and fortify the Sundarbans and beyond where Cyclone, Flood and Storm are increasingly frequent. The future of this unique and vital region depends on our ability to innovate and implement actionable climate resilience plans. The time to act on resilience is now.
About Authors
Dr. Anshu Sharma, Co-Founder of SEEDS, Co-Founder of STS Global, and Samhita R, Co-Founder of Resilience AI
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