People losing livelihoods and accommodations due to climate change do not want to accept migration as the best adaptation strategy, revealed an ongoing survey yesterday.

Respondents claimed they were migrating from residences in coastal and northern regions to survive temporarily or cope with climatic disasters. The survey, "Climate Change and Migration: From Problem to Solution," was made public at a discussion in the capital's Bangla Academy.

Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) have been jointly conducting it since August. They will survey 250 households in Bhola's Sadar upazila, Caibandha's Sadar and Fulchari upazilas, and Kallyanpur slum area in the capital, till February next year.

Presenting a summary, ICCCAD Director Saleemul Huq said on migrating, climate victims faced multiple challenges centring water, sanitation, healthcare, and children's education.

"In Bangladesh, around 15 million people may be displaced from their houses by the next two decades due to the impacts of climate change But we cannot absorb another 10 million people into Dhaka city. So, we need planned migration," said the climate researcher. AQM Mahbub, a professor of geography and environment at Dhaka University, stressed local solutions instead of migration.

Solutions must be taken from experiences of the affected, added Hossain Zillur Rahman, a former caretaker government adviser and executive chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre.

Economics professor of Jahangirnagar University Sormindo Nilormi called for inclusive policies for the climate victims.

Chairing the programme, MJF Executive Director Shaheen Anam urged the policy makers to include the climate change issue in the government's mainstream development policies.