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Frequent floods and river erosions, exacerbated by global climate change, are causing miseries to millions of people worldwide. Thousands of citizens in Bangladesh become homeless every year due to recurrent floods and river erosions. This study reveals an unusual fact that the inhabitants of the Jamuna river floodplain are choosing immobility over migration to safe locations in such situations. The victims of forced migration usually stay within the same zone of calamity. To understand the dynamics, this study focused on determining the factors influencing immobility of the victims in Dewanganj sub-district of Jamalpur district in north-central Bangladesh. Primary data were collected from three distinct locations through oral histories, Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews, and household questionnaire surveys. Migration has a negative correlation (− 0.29) with flood experiences and a positive correlation (0.63) with erosion experiences of the victims. Thus, the flood-victims tend to be immobile more than the erosion-victims. The tipping-depth for flood is the highest among women in the island char, and the tipping-distance for erosion is the lowest in the attached char. The low living cost, working opportunities for women, and non-government/ government supports are the most important facilitators of immobility, and poverty and uncertainty in adapting to a new place are the major obstructive indicators of mobility. Suggestions are provided as to how immobility can be encouraged in hazard-prone vulnerable settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reveals the scenarios and drivers of agricultural land conversion (ALC) and consequent changes in land surface temperature (LST) in four industrial areas in Bangladesh. We used remote sensing techniques to observe ALC and LST and the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to identify major agricultural land conversion drivers. After remote sensing and field visits, DPSIR framework adopted a structured questionnaire survey to identify the perception of local respondents in identifying priorly obtained factors on a particular question. Based on the extent of industrialization, this study selected four industrial areas Gazipur Sadar, Kaliakair Upazila, Savar, and Rupganj. Analysis of Landsat TM and OIL time series data of 1999, 2009, and 2019 reveals that ALC continued to change sharply in Gazipur Sadar, Kaliakair Upazila, and Savar; the change was steady in the Rupganj area. Between 1999 and 2019, humans converted a total of 6097.14 hectares of agricultural land into the settlement. The conversion of agricultural land to barren land followed the same trend, but most noticeable in the Gazipur Sadar. The mean LST for different land use types was higher in the Gazipur Sadar and the Kaliakair Upazila than the Savar and Rupganj Upazila. Also, the mean LST in settlement and barren land areas is higher than in the areas with vegetation and water bodies. Notably, the land surface temperature is higher in the areas where conversions are quick. Approximately 71% of respondents reported that rapid industrial development is the main reason for agricultural land conversion. Moreover, many respondents (around 64%) also agreed that soil and water quality become degraded due to agricultural land conversion in their regions. Our prognosis is that if policymakers and planners do not consider these drivers, the potential impact will enhance soon. Overall, we believe that this study can help formulate effective agriculture land use and management policies of Bangladesh and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]