Household food insecurity after the early monsoon flash flood of 2017 among wetland (Haor) communities of northeastern Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

The livelihoods of wetland (Haor) communities living in northeastern region of Bangladesh are largely dependent on agriculture. Unseasonably heavy rainfall in Haor basin and upstream Indian catchments triggered a devastating early monsoon flash flood in Haor basin at the beginning of April in 2017, which destroyed the nearly ready-to-harvest annual rice crop and resulted in significant income loss of Haor dwellers. The present study aims at assessing post-flood household food insecurity and the factors associated with it in the aftermath of this flash flood. A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and a survey covering 1845 flood-affected households was conducted to measure the post-flood household food insecurity. A set of questionnaires was adopted from Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) to assess the level of household food insecurity, and a modified poisson regression model was used to identify the risk factors of household food insecurity. A staggering 62% of the surveyed households were found food insecure following the flash flood. Being ultra-poor, loss of livestock in flood, household head's occupation being natural resource-based, and household reliance on market purchase of food were identified as significant risk factors of post-flood household food insecurity. Household being headed by relatively younger, educated people, and household owning agricultural land were found to be protective against post-flood food insecurity. Therefore, post-flood emergency programs, especially the food assistance programs should be designed prioritizing these most food insecure groups instead of considering household poverty as the only selection criteria. As a long-term plan, a multi-sectoral approach focusing on disaster risk reduction by taking into account the risk of disaster-induced food insecurity is essential to reduce the vulnerability of wetland communities.