Political parties urged to pay special attention to rehabilitation of people displaced by climate change

The ‘Youth4Water India’ campaign, initiated by Water Initiatives, WaterAid India, and sixty-eight other organisations, has just released a 23-point manifesto for political parties contesting in these general elections, urging upon them to commit to special rehabilitation and support programmes for the youth who are most vulnerable to climate change impacts such as sea-level rise and are forced to get displaced. 

“This manifesto was prepared based on interviews and focus-group discussions involving 100 youths from Odisha coasts, especially from villages that are facing the wrath of an invading sea, conducted by our volunteers, it was then supported by inputs from experts.  Our experience of working with such villages for the last more than three decades also helped strengthen this Manifesto,” said Ranjan Panda, Convenor of Water Initiatives & Co-founder – cum – Mentor of the ‘Youth4Water’ campaign. 

“Odisha is one of the most highly vulnerable geographies in the world when it comes to climate change impacts, and sea-level rise and related impacts could displace thousands of people from more than 300 villages.  While many villages are already submerged under the sea, many more are on the verge of being taken over.  Developing a strategy to deal with such a situation has become essential.  With this manifesto, we urge upon each political party to support a ‘Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,’ that we have already suggested to the state government,” added Panda, informing, this manifesto’s relevance is for the entire country.

“Besides covering a host of suggested initiatives that can help vulnerable youths get their rightful support from the system, this Manifesto also covers provisioning of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ for both the people who choose to stay and the ones who choose to move,” says Bikash Pati, Technical Specialist - Water at the WaterAid India, who was also involved in guiding the survey.

“The youths who were covered under this survey have demanded several layers of protection, including employment guarantees with dignified income, health insurance, the right to education, and so on and so forth.  We are sure the political parties will support this manifesto, as ‘climate displacement & migration’ have already become huge areas of concern for policymakers, and Odisha is a hotspot in this regard,” added Pati.

Dhaneswar Mallick of the Astaranga area, a youth actively involved in this survey, demanded safe drinking water, safety for girls who are migrating out, involvement of youths in all the eco-restoration initiatives, and provisioning of local employment opportunities for youths who don’t want to move out of their native areas.

For Manjulata Swain from Satabhaya area, another youth involved in the survey, safety of girls and equal wage opportunity for them must be the priority of all political parties contesting the elections.  She emphasised on the inhuman condition of transport modes which carry migrant workers and suggested better and dignified ways of transport with all basic amenities provided.

“All the 23 points put together in this Youth Manifesto point to a positive transformation in policy making and plan-designing to help people displaced by climate change, and the ones who have to resort to further distressed migration.  If the political parties support this manifesto, they can actually help the state, and eventually the nation, build climate resilience,” added Pati. 

“We are also proposing local climate resilience building in an ecosystem-based approach and adhering to a ‘commons policy’ that takes care of conservation of all local common property resources—like freshwater ecosystems, marine ecosystems, coastal forests, sand dunes, etc.—so that people who prefer to stay in their respective areas can be assured of local protection from climate change impacts,” added Panda.

We sincerely hope the political parties will pay attention to this ‘Youth Manifesto,’ said Panda, informing them that this will be shared with all leading political parties in the state.

23-Point Youth Manifesto 

1. No displacement by climate change-related causes is voluntary. Political parties must commit to recognising that displacement by climate change, especially sea-level rise (SLR), is forceful and formulate policy measures based on this recognition.
2. Forced displacement propels further migration, most often under distressed conditions and to both established routes and new routes, and these migrants are more vulnerable to challenges associated with migration than the other migrants, mainly because they have no resources to fall back upon if they wish to come back home. Existing policies and plans to support migrant workers should consider these aspects and provide adequate support to climate-displaced and migrant people.
3. Youth are the first migrants from a climate hotspot, and they should be provided with designated plans to protect their human rights, wages, dignified basic amenities and other support systems through the implementation of suitable policies and plans.
4. We specifically demand a policy for promulgating ‘living wages’ that should be more than the minimum wage and include other amenities such as housing, healthcare, and recreation. When forced to work outside due to distressed conditions such as climate change impacts, youth should not be exploited with uncertain and unregulated wage systems.
5. Health insurance cards should be provided to each youth and those migrating. Local government agencies should facilitate the support under such an insurance scheme. It should not be left to the youths and their relatives/migrants to search for health facilities where such insurance schemes can be accessed. Any such insurance scheme-based treatment must be at ‘zero cost’ to the youths and other migrants in case they have to go through such health problems.
6. A compensatory ‘direct income allowance’ scheme should be brought in to support youths who are jobless due to climate change's impact on local natural resources-based livelihood opportunities on which they have traditionally been dependent. Such a scheme should also apply to youths who want to complete their studies or acquire higher education or skills but cannot afford the same because their current income sources have eroded due to climate change.
7. Each migrant worker should be registered at the source and destination, and each travel route should be recorded in government registers. Local buses (and other vehicles) carrying migrant workers must be equipped with necessary safety features, provide water and sanitation facilities, and be monitored by the authorities through the entire route in a coordinated approach.
8. Housing, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for migrant workers should be dignified and regularly monitored by relevant authorities.
9. Leaves, including health, pregnancy and maternity-related benefits, should be provisioned in the work contracts. No migrant worker should work without a legally recognised work contract.
10. For youths and people who are not migrating out but prefer to stay in the local areas, the local authorities should provide adequate employment opportunities and other support systems.
11. We urge all the political parties to support the demand for formulating a “Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,” which has already been suggested to the Government of Odisha by Water Initiatives and partner organisations.
12. The “Strategy for Inclusive Rehabilitation of Climate Displaced Communities,” as proposed by Water Initiatives, can take care of the rehabilitation needs of many communities, including the youth, facing climate-induced forced displacement in the state with supportive policy and plan measures that not only take care of their housing needs and basic amenities requirements but also help them in getting compensated for the land loss, support for ensuring dignified living and livelihoods, and in other requirements as they adapt to the changes in a way that they move towards ‘climate resilience’ pathways.
13. Climate change, sea-level rise, and other related factors critically impact local ecosystems and alter ecosystem-based livelihood opportunities. We urge the political parties to act towards a ‘Commons Policy’ for Odisha so that local ecosystem restoration efforts can be taken in an integrated approach by considering all common property resources to adapt to these impacts. In this policy, a significant support system should be provided to youths by facilitating their involvement in ecosystem restoration efforts and engaging them in both decision-making and implementation of such efforts. For this, the existing schemes, such as ICZMP, MGNREGS, etc., should be integrated and made part of the Commons Policy.
14. Skill development for youths should be taken up with a particular focus on all the above policies so that they can develop new capacities to enhance income and sustainability from nature-based occupations such as farming, fishing, dairy, etc. Skillsets should also be diversified to help the youths establish other livelihood options and provide them with financial and facilitation support.
15. Existing schemes should be leveraged to provide skills and support systems for youths in the farm, fishery and forestry sectors. As casuarina and mangrove restoration efforts need to be increased, youths should be involved in these so that they are assured of their livelihood options and develop a sense of ownership in furthering such drives.
16. In the rehabilitation locations (or relocation sites) for internally displaced people due to climate change, all the facilities created for people in the relocation sites should be gender-positive, and youth- and children-friendly. They should also be easily accessible to persons with disabilities (PwDs) and elderly people. Special efforts should be made to provide them with extra social protection by providing additional resources and prioritising their mental and physical growth.
17. Safe drinking water on a 24x7 basis should be provided at the homes in the relocation colonies; sanitation management should be done using the latest methods and technology; and green energy should be used to power the houses as well as other establishments created in these relocation colonies. No youth should be deprived of education in such relocation colonies.
18. Robust medical systems should be set up in coastal Odisha for regular check-ups of health conditions arising from increased freshwater resources' increased salinity. Youths and others have been complaining of kidney, skin, and stomach-related diseases the most. Special health camps and treatment facilities should be provided regularly, and the government should provide funds.
19. Women and girls face special health challenges in these locations. Besides the kidney, stomach, and skin-related problems, they also complain of facing menstrual hygiene challenges. Pregnant women face several challenges during temporary relocation during cyclones. Special care should be taken to provide them with urgent medical attention and communication facilities to use referral and district-level medical facilities.
20. Special efforts should be taken to conserve the freshwater ecosystems of the coastal areas from saline water intrusion.
21. For youths and communities dependent on seawater for fishery-based livelihoods and considering the sea their ‘land,’ rights to fish in safe waters should be safeguarded by supporting their rehabilitation in areas not far from the sea.
22. Local fish processing units, storage facilities, and improved marketing infrastructure should be provided to build the resilience of these fishermen against the growing impacts of climate change.
23. A particular ‘Youth Climate Fund’ should be established to fund all the needed support to be provided to the youth—at their existing villages, in relocation colonies, and through the migration pathways—and special arrangements should be made to fill this fund from both existing and new sources, including climate finance that the state government and other stakeholders can access.