Community Climate Resilience Building: A Case Study of Tidal Flooding in Kerala, India

Abstract

Sea level rise due to climate change threatens coastal communities, causing coastal flooding and other extreme weather events. This study explores a community-based approach integrated with scientific data collection methods to develop bottom-up strategies for building climate resilience, focusing on tidal flooding in the lowland coastal plains of Ernakulam district, Kerala. Community engagement was facilitated through a multilayered approach by collaborating with grassroots organizations and different tiers of government. Through low-cost, decentralized data collection methods, affected regions and deviations from expected tidal impact patterns were identified. Open-ended interviews revealed traditional adaptive strategies practiced by the community that are effective in guiding scientific planning and development to build local, context-aware resilience in coastal regions. The results of this study demonstrate that continuous community engagement, participatory methodologies and reciprocal learning are critical in developing sustainable solutions to tidal flooding and in empowering communities to advocate for their own solutions.