13.21 M 14.11 M

4.57 M 4.49 M

-

20,00,000

40,00,000

60,00,000

80,00,000

1,00,00,000

1,20,00,000

1,40,00,000

1,60,00,000

1901 1911 1921 1931 1941 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

To

tal Po

pula

tio

n

Year

Sub-Urban

-250000

-200000

-150000

-100000

-50000

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

Nadia North Twenty Four

Parganas

Hugli Haora Kolkata South Twenty Four

Parganas

Net M

igrants

Districts

Male Female

-500000

-400000

-300000

-200000

-100000

0

100000

Mig

rants

45.39

57.45

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

2001

2011

Increasing Depopulation in Kolkata City

Dichotomy of Migration in Kolkata City, Indian Bengal Delta

Shouvik Das**, Sugata Hazra and Tuhin Ghosh

(**Presenting Author, Email ID: geo.shk@gmail.com)

School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, India

DECCMA 4th

Consortium Meeting , 2016

Study Area

Introduction

Kolkata City or District: The Old Kolkata City or the Census

District ‘Kolkata’ (KMC) consists of 141 wards as in Census

2011.

Kolkata Megacity or Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA): The

urban agglomeration of the city of Kolkata of 14 Million

population.

• Kolkata, the largest city of India until 1990, has

been showing a persistent trend of outmigration

over the last decade.

• Exacerbating impacts of Climate Change like

accelerated sea level rise, impact of cyclones, rising

temperature, high rainfall events and waterlogging,

with high density of poor population in slums,

Kolkata has been assessed as one of the most

vulnerable cities of the world.

• This study attempts to explore reasons behind the

present trend of depopulation in the erstwhile

preferred migration destination.

Results & Discussion

Population Growth Decadal Variation of Population Since 1901

1991-2001 2001-2011

2011

Conclusion

In spite of the declining population in Kolkata city, Kolkata

megacity is emerging as a ‘major setting of human habitation’ in

a 21st century world stressed by climate change.

Nadia

3%

North

24

Pargana

s

62%

Hugli

10%

Haora

10%

South

24

Pargana

s

15%

Possible Causes:

• Closure of labour intensive industries,

• Comparatively lower land prices,

• Availability of space and accommodation,

• Lower costs of living,

• Development of different modes of

transportation and communication.

•Vulnerable areas of

Sundarban (Rural)

•Kolkata City (Urban)

KMA: 7,480 People/ Sq. Km.

Kolkata City : 24,306 People/ Sq.

Km. -1.67

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

Po

pula

tio

n G

ro

wth R

ate

• Kolkata City: 4.5 Million residents

• Growth Rate: -1.67% (2001-11)

• Kolkata Megacity: City+ Peri-

Urban = 14.1 Million (Census

2011).

In-Migration to Kolkata Metropolitan Area (Megacity)

Barrackpur-I &II,

Barasat, Rajarhat,

Sonarpur, Baruipur,

Garia

F

R

O

M

TO

Pull Factors

Population Density

Dimensions of Out-Migration from Kolkata City

Population Growth Rate

Net Migration

Push Factors

Migration Scenario of Kolkata City by Place of Birth

** Presented at American Geo-Physical Fall Meeting 2015, San Francisco, California, USA (Dt. 17.12.2015)

Kolkata

Metropolitan

Area

Kolkata City

WARDS

45 46 70 43 52 47 25 12 62 39

63 86 22 41 72 16 93 80 9 135

Highly Vulnerable + High Rate of Out-Migration

Kolkata

Kolkata

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Demography

Education

Economy

Government Policy

Standard of living

Changing Climate

Health Hazard

Other Social Issues

Im

pact

This work was carried out

under the Collaborative

Adaptation Research

Initiative in Africa and Asia

(CARIAA), with financial

support from the UK

Government’s Department

for International

Development (DFiD) and

the International

Development Research

Centre (IDRC), Canada.

The views expressed in this

work are those of the

creators and do no

necessarily represent those

of DFiD and IDRC or its

Board of Governors.

Tabular Representation of Hazards and Vulnerable Areas

HAZARD VULNERABLE AREAS OF KOLKATA VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

Tidal

Upsurge

Low lying areas near the River

Hooghly e.g. Garden Reach, Kidderpur,

Tollygunge

People, mainly poor or lower middle

class living in shanties and old houses in

congested areas near the canals

Cyclone Exposed areas near the Maidan, South

Calcutta and River adjacent West

Kolkata

Tile roofed houses; houses near big trees;

kuccha houses of shanties

Flooding &

Water logging

by heavy rain

Major parts of the city, including

Camac Street, Amherst Street, Theatre

Road, College Street, M.G Road,

Ultadanga, Kankurgachi, Phoolbagan,

New Alipore, Southern Avenue,

Rashbehari Avenue, Deshapriya Park,

Sovabazar, Shyambazar and AJC Bose

Road

Single storied houses at level lower than

road, kuccha houses, houses in low water

collecting areas like end of

flyovers/bridges

Source: http://siteresources, worldbank.org/CMUDLP/Resources/SamanjitSengupta.pdf

Reference

1. A-2 Table, General Population Series, West Bengal & India, Census of India, 2011.

2. D Series, Migration Table (2001), West Bengal. Census of India.

3. C-14 Table, Socio-Cultural Series (2001 & 2011), West Bengal & India, Census of India.

4. Primary Census Abstract (1991, 2001 & 2011), West Bengal & Urban Agglomeration, Census of India.

5. Asish Ghosh, Kolkata and Climate Change, Climate Change Policy Paper IV.

6. World Bank, Environment, Climate change and Water Resources Department, Report No. 53282-IN,June 2011.

KMC Wards along the Ganga with Slum Population KMC wards along the Ganga with Maximum Total

Industries

1,6,7,9,19,20,21,22,23,24,75,76,80,134,135,136,137,1

38,140 and 141

1,6,7,8,19,20,21,22,23 and 80

Source: A Series, Census 2011

Source: C Series, Census 2001 & 2011

Source: PCA,

Census 1991,

2001 & 2011