Adaptation Strategies of Migrants: A Study of Hemja, Pokhara Metropolitan City

Abstract

This study was carried out in Myagdi Chowk, Hemja Pokhara Metropolitan city with the main objective focused on the causes, consequences and adaptation strategies of migrants in Myagdi Chowk, Hemja. This study is based on the study of 150 households under purposive sampling. Data collection techniques were observation, interview and case study. A range of factors is associated with the internal migration of people from their ancestral habitations to Myagdi Chowk, Hemja. The main push factors of migration are the lack of higher education, lack of fertile land, Maoist insurgency and political threats, geographical difficulties, lack of facilities, poor income at the place of origin. The main attraction in Myagdi Chowk are facilities of higher education, fertile land, urban facilities, easy adaption to cultural social status and job opportunities which are not available at the place of origin. Most of the migrants are of economically, physically, mentally active age group (15-59) which portrays that the age factors play a determining role in migration process. Hence it is deduced that migration to Hemja is the result of unbalanced distribution of natural resources and development efforts at the place of origin. Anthropologically migration of people is imperative embedded with centre-periphery relations and population movements produced by regional and global political, economic, and historical processes. The number of migrants who were forced to move by different factors depended largely on the adaptation strategies. The major coping strategies involves an increase in informal sector activity, with previously non-earning household members entering the petty commodity sector, as well as wage-earners taking on supplementary cash-earning activities to adjust to the cost-of living at new destination. Hence it is revealed that the relationship between migration and adaptation is multifold: it concerns not only the regions of origin and destination, but also the migratory movements themselves. The development of adaptation strategies in the regions of origin will be the only way to limit the scale of migration flows to new destinations. However, adaptation should not be exclusively reserved to the region of origin: migration, especially if it is gradual, results in increased demographic pressure on resources in the region of destination. It is only by developing adaptation measures that the host region will be able to cope with increased demographic pressure. Here, a different type of adaptation is needed: it is no longer a question of coping with the impacts of various pushing factors themselves, but with various socioeconomic consequences of adaptation. Prices rise, unavailability of affordable housing, emerging social tension, conflicts, rising human density etc are some of the key concerns of migrants in Hemja. These issues can be particularly acute in future when migrants search for better life without adequately prepared for them. Essential facilities like education, health, drinking water, employment opportunity at the place of origin can control the internal migration. Female education should be encouraged and motivated.