THE CONSEQUENCES OF RESETTLEMENT ON RELOCATED PERI-URBAN HOUSEHOLDS AND THE RELOCATEES’ COPING STRATEGIES IN DURAME TOWN

Abstract

Currently, in the highly urbanizing reform towns like Durame, both the number of development projects and the households‟ eviction due to the projects are increasing from time to time. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the consequences of resettlement on relocated peri-urban households and the relocatees‟ coping strategies in Durame town. In this study, the convergent parallel research design was used. The research was undertaken by using both primary and secondary data sources. The quantitative data was gathered from 162 randomly selected relocated household heads by using an interview schedule; while qualitative data were collected from 17 purposively selected participants, non-participant observation, and document review. After the data gathering quantitative data coding, entry, and processing were conducted by using SPSS software version 20. For the quantitative data analysis, descriptive statistical tools like frequency and percentage were utilized. Besides, the thematic analysis was used to disclose the meanings of qualitative data. Then, based on the research design, separated qualitative and quantitative analyses were merged employing the triangulation of results. The findings of this study revealed that resettlement the relocatees have faced the housing problem, loss of access to shared resources, exposure to deteriorated living conditions, the lack of access to infrastructural facilities, being needy of compensations, and the livelihood contributions of on-farming was declined on average from 76.9% before to 45.95% after resettlement. Whereas the neighbourhood ties continuation and livelihood diversifications were both desirable consequences and coping strategies of the peri-urban relocatees. According to the findings of this study, comparing the consequences of resettlement in terms of the relocatees‟ asset status before and after relocation the adverse consequences of resettlement out-weight the desirable ones; because the relocatees‟ losses were greater than what they had had before resettlement. To cope up with the negative consequences of resettlement, relocatees were striving to win their adverse conditions. Generally, it can be concluded that resettlement affects the relocatees‟ social and economic aspects as well as their coping strategies negatively. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that, without compromising its positive roles, the local government is expected to pay more attention to improve the adverse consequences of resettlement on the resettled households. Generally, coordinated efforts by the relocatees, NGOs, and government can play an important role to improve the adverse consequences of resettlement on peri-urban relocatees of the Durame town.