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Patel, et al.

Figure 1. Pathways of effects, coping, and adaptation to natural disasters in rural communities in Odisha, India.

go out, participants carried water bottles, wore wet clothes, hats, and slippers, and used an umbrella. Often people were
compelled to engage in labor work for their survival in the scorching heat as they had no other choice for earning, but they
tried to avoid working during the peak heat hours.
“Before heat wave begins, I put straw on the asbestos and make the room cool and reshuffle the tiles. These activities
are done in March. Water is sprayed on the roof of the cattle shed when the heatwave increases. I damp the door
screen and by this way make the room cool and the children can sleep. Sometimes I use wet cotton mattress after 12
noon if there is failure of electricity to keep the room cool.” (Farmer, 51 years, IDI)
To cope with income shortages resulting from natural disasters (particularly in drought situations), people in Nuapada
migrated for work to nearby towns and other states, changed their occupation, borrowed food from neighbors, and also
depended on remittances. Participants in Nuapada stated that they took food on credit from shops and repaid their debts
after they had earnings from migration. Sometimes people bought rice from shopkeepers by exchanging forest products
or millet. Further, many rural participants stated that the Public Distribution System (PDS) was useful in an emergency,
although insufficient. The results suggested that in many instances, people had to compromise on the food they ate due
to the effect of disasters. Participants recalled that in the past, they stored surplus food grains to cope with droughts;
however, they had to resort to other alternatives at present (e.g., migration). Migration (to work as bonded laborers
[Pathuria or Dadan system] in neighboring states) had repercussions for individuals and their families, particularly in
Nuapada. Participants further added that often migrants were unable to repay their debt.
“ Earlier, people used to cultivate Mandia (finger millet), Suan (little millet), and Gurji (fox-tail millet) and stored
these items in their home for future use, so when there was a drought they used the stored millets to manage their
families. In case of emergency or shortage of food, people used to borrow or lend from the local money lender. Now

International Journal of Population Studies | 2020, Volume 6, Issue 1 9