Impact of Climate-change-induced Disaster on the Livelihood of the Madheshi Dalit Women of Nepal

Nepal’s geographic and ecological diversity render it highly susceptible to climate change, while its complex social structure, characterized by entrenched caste, gender, and ethnic inequalities, exacerbates this vulnerability. The intersection of climatic variability and socio-cultural disparities creates compounded risks, with marginalized groups disproportionately affected by extreme events like droughts and floods. This study focuses on the adaptive strategies and vulnerabilities of Madheshi Dalit Women (MDWs) in the eastern Tarai, using the 2008 Koshi flood as a case study. Grounded in qualitative field research, it employs an intersectional lens to explore how caste, ethnicity, and gender shape MDWs’ livelihood challenges, adaptive responses, and socio-economic deprivation regarding climate-change-induced disaster risks. The research seeks to answer three interrelated questions: the post-disaster changes in MDWs’ labour and livelihoods, their access to land, food security and local conflict, and the state’s role in facilitating post-flood livelihood recovery.