Millions of people in Bangladesh’s south-west coast are facing challenges in accessing safe drinking water due to severe salinity affecting ponds, tube wells, and other water sources. Women are compelled to walk long distances with plastic containers in search of clean water, turning this issue into a critical public health emergency, as per a report from ‘Pressenza-International Press Agency.’
The environmental crises in the region, including salinity intrusion, cyclones, storm surges, riverbank erosion, waterlogging, and heat waves, are interconnected, exacerbating the situation. The report highlights that when families lose their crops or fishing income to salinity, the struggle for basic survival becomes increasingly costly.
Families are being financially strained as they have to allocate a significant portion of their limited income to obtain water due to the breakdown of transport infrastructure and delayed medical services. The burden of this crisis disproportionately falls on women and adolescent girls, who spend hours daily walking several kilometers to fetch safe water, impacting their education, income opportunities, rest, and personal well-being.
Water-related occupations and the long distances to health facilities pose serious reproductive health risks, as evidenced by a study conducted in Gabura Union in 2025. Women engaged in activities like shrimp-fry collection and aquaculture are exposed to saline water, leading to high rates of skin infections, urinary tract infections, and long-term reproductive health issues, particularly among coastal women.
Efforts by the Government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to address the water crisis include initiatives such as rainwater harvesting tanks, pond-sand filters (PSFs), and reverse osmosis plants. However, due to insufficient long-term maintenance funding and backup sources, infrastructure worth millions of dollars lies abandoned or dysfunctional. The report emphasizes that piecemeal charitable actions are insufficient to resolve this systemic crisis.
