Safe Water Adaptability for Salinity, Arsenic and Drought Risks in Southwest of Bangladesh

Abstract

In recent years, access to safe drinking water has been a major problem in many countries in the world. The scarcity of safe drinking water is increasing due to increase in population, changing lifestyles and urbanization. Bangladesh, known as the “land of water,” also faces a safe drinking water crisis. Particularly, the Southwestern part of Bangladesh experiences scarcity of safe drinking water due to salinity intrusion along with arsenic‐contaminated groundwater and recurring drought. In this context, an exploratory study is undertaken in two severe safe water scarce areas namely Khulna and Satkhira districts of Bangladesh. The study developed and utilized the SIPE approach to measure safe water adaptability index considering socio‐economic, institutional, physiochemical, and environmental perspectives of the targeted area. With regard to overall safe water adaptability index, results show that overall safe water adaptability scores range from 2.16 to 3.13. Moreover, based on the score, five upazilas (sub‐districts) have medium, 10 upazilas have low and one upazila has very low adaptability among 16 upazilas in Khulna and Satkhira districts. Through the adaptability index, the capacity of upazilas and gap between different levels is measured which can guide the review of existing policy and provide recommendations for a safe water adaptability action plan.

Community Perception and Adaptation to Safe Drinking Water Scarcity: Salinity, Arsenic, and Drought Risks in Coastal Bangladesh

“…Khulna and Satkhira districts are located in the southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh with a population of 6.2 million (Abedin and Shaw 2013a). This area experiences severe drinking water scarcity due to salinity intrusion, arsenic, and drought (Fig.…”

“…For example, the DPHE of Rupsha upazila is continuously working to screen arsenic contaminated tube wells to provide safe drinking water at the community level, whereas Debhata upazila establishes shallow and deep tube wells and constructs community-based arsenic and iron removal plants through institutions such as DPHE and a local company named Delta. On the other hand, Dacope and Shymnagar upazilas have severe potable water problems due to insufficient safe surface and groundwater sources, inadequate infrastructure, lack of budget resources, and poor salinity and arsenic policies at the upazila level (Abedin and Shaw 2013a).…”

The role of university networks in disaster risk reduction: Perspective from coastal Bangladesh

“…For instance, aftermath consecutive two mega disasters viz. Sidr in 2007 and Aila in 2009 in the southwest coast of Bangladesh, government and other organizations worked on safe drinking water supply with the assistance of international organizations in the southwest Bangladesh (Abedin and Shaw, 2014). Hence, networking may play an important role to minimize the duplicity of work to provide maximum benefits for the victims.…”

Microbiological water quality of Managed Aquifer Recharge systems in the salinity-prone southwest coastal Bangladesh

“…To reduce the risk of waterborne disease rainwater harvesting and groundwater has been widely promoted over surface water 6,7 . The aquifers in the southwest coastal districts of Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira are frequently saline, providing brackish water that greatly hinders freshwater access for the surrounding communities [8][9][10] .…”