Migrants at risk. Responses of rural - urban migrants to the floods of 2011 in Thailand

The geographical focus in studying the environmental-migration nexus has been placed mainly to the areas of origin of migrants and to the question how climate stresses functions as a push factor for out-migration. Less attention has been paid to migrants facing environmental risks in the destinations areas, particularly urban agglomerations. Metropolitan areas not only have to keep in step with the fast growth. Since metropolises are often located in delta and coastal regions, they can also show an enhanced risk for natural hazards. Therefore, this paper addresses the question of how vulnerable ruralurban migrants in the Greater Bangkok Metropolitan Area deal with urban natural disasters. The aim of this exploratory study is to capture the experiences of internal migrants with the floods of 2011. Salaya, a fast growing sub-district in Nakhon Pathom province in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area was severely inundated over weeks, also for the purpose of protecting central Bangkok. In order to identify coping strategies with the big floods in 2011 and adaptation strategies to potential future floods, 17 metropolitan migrants and 4 key informants have been interviewed in depth in Thai with the help of interpreters. To understand the motives behind distinct strategies, a focus on the concepts of translocality and riskscapes in the light of previous experiences in the places of origin was set