Many victims of natural hazards such as floods, cyclones, and erosion, particularly the poor, migrate into cities in search of new jobs, shelter and livelihood and finally end up in slums or in the streets. The slum population in Dhaka doubled in a decade to reach 3.4 million in 2006 from only 1.5 million in 1996 following heavy rural-urban migration. According to the Climate Change Cell of the DoE, about 45 cm rise of sea level along the Bangladesh coast may inundate 10-15% of the land by the year 2050 creating over 35 million climate refugees or environmental migrants from the coastal districts. Many will end up in the major cities putting further stress on the living conditions and facilities therein.

Sanitation will be a major problem as normal practices of sanitation changes as a result of failure of sanitation system during flood and cyclone. People do not get access to proper sanitation facilities as houses are damaged or submerged, and people are often displaced from their homes.

Various types of infrastructure may face damages due to increased physical impacts of CC such as flood and cyclones and storm surges depending on locality and the local relief and natural conditions. Communication infrastructures of all types may be under threat while residential houses as well as institutional facilities such as schools, hospitals and market places may have to close if the problems become severe. Retreat and relocation can be a type of adaptation in such cases.