Desalinating the lives of our coastal population
To reach Sustainable Development Goal 6 by 2030, everyone must have access to clean water and toilets. World Water Day aims to speed up the actions required to solve both the water and sanitation crises and achieve SDG 6 on time
The goal behind observing World Water Day every year on 22 March is to unite the world to solve the twin crises of drinking water shortage and lack of access to sanitation.
To reach Sustainable Development Goal number 6 (SDG-6), everyone needs to have access to clean water and toilets by 2030. But according to the latest United Nations data, governments must act four times faster on average to achieve SDG-6.
Although another name for water is life, if that water is not safe, it brings destruction. Contaminated water becomes the cause of various diseases, health problems, and even death. Water scarcity is currently a global crisis — one that is gradually getting more intense with time. Due to the impact of climate change, this crisis is spreading to different parts of the world; about two-thirds of the world's population is under water stress at present.
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Globally, more people die due to a lack of clean water every day than of various diseases. The death toll from water-borne diseases is still the highest in the world. Thousands of people die every day due to waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea and cholera, most of whom are children.
The right to water has been declared a human right by the UN, but more than 76 million people in the world are currently being deprived of this right. Therefore, critical areas will be more at risk if the right to clean water is not protected.
A large number of people who are deprived of access to safe water live in extreme poverty. Women and children suffer the most in this regard.
The crisis is more serious in Asia and Africa. According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), Bangladesh is ranked seventh in the world in terms of a population without access to clean water. Despite being known as a riverine country, there has been a long-standing shortage of freshwater in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
The crisis intensified after the Cyclone Sidr and Aila floods. Water sources were destroyed due to the impact of the cyclone and they have yet to recover fully. In addition, climate change has reduced average rainfall compared to previous years.
On the one hand, the fragile condition of the dam is due to abnormal tides. On the other hand, the lack of potable water has increased concerns for the coastal people. Also, the demand for water is constantly increasing, which is causing the overuse of groundwater. Besides, water pollution and climate change are increasing the pressure on water resources. Climate change causes global warming and a rise in sea levels, which have a negative effect on groundwater levels.
As groundwater levels continue to fall, even deep tube wells are unable to extract water. Arsenic in the groundwater is a big problem as well. As a result, in search of potable water, coastal people have to travel long distances on boats or vans with pitchers, bottles, and drums. After meals, they have to keep the water for washing their hands in a separate container and use it. Many families often rely on pond water.
There is no shortage of water around the coastal areas of the country, but due to increasing salinity and a lack of fresh water, the health of millions of people in the region is at risk. People of all ages, including women, children and the elderly, suffer from various diseases, including stomach ailments and allergies.
The human body needs a certain amount of salt, which comes from food and water, but the salt content of the water in coastal areas is many times higher. If this water enters the body, health risks go up. It becomes more dangerous for pregnant women. Women who drink too much salt water during pregnancy can experience high blood pressure and even seizures. Because of this, women have the possibility of suffering miscarriages. In addition, high salt intake is associated with high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease.
Besides salinity, the problem of microplastic particles has been brought to the fore as a new threat to water around the world. At the same time, the issue of water pollution due to chemical fertilisers, pesticides and arsenic has come up. It has been said that these are poisoning the world's freshwater sources.
If the delicate situation with fresh water along the coasts of the country is not fixed, the crisis will worsen. Since independence, the country's wetlands have decreased by 70%. Many rivers have also dried up. At least 8,000 kilometres of waterways across the country have already been lost. Embankments are notable among the initiatives taken since the Pakistan era to stop salinity in coastal areas. But after Sidr and Aila, that dam has broken in many places.
Two natural factors are mainly responsible for increasing salinity in coastal areas: first, salty water flooding the land during high tides; and second, underground saline water percolation to the surface through capillary pores during the dry season. If this water is used for irrigation, the soil or land becomes more saline.
On the other hand, when the monsoon ends, the soil starts to dry from January-February. This causes many cracks in the soil. When the sun shines on the ground, the water evaporates from the surface of the soil and the salt water underground comes up through the cracks to the surface of the ground.
Salinity then has an impact on the surface of the land. Apart from this, salinity also increases due to man-made causes. Local influential people cut dams and pump salt water into the surrounding area for shrimp farming. A few shrimp farmers have benefited from this, but the livelihoods of most of the residents of the area have come to a standstill. Apart from these disadvantages, coastal areas have many other disadvantages. Climate change is causing more cyclones and floods.
Because they are not managed well, bad polders and sluice gates sometimes let salty water into the cropland. So, these coastal communities hope that a long-term plan from the state will help them stay alive in the fight for life. Since water is a basic right and an important part of the public sector, a budget should be set up and used in this area.
Comprehensive programs and long-term planning should be started immediately to ensure that poor people in coastal areas, especially those prone to river erosion, salinity, and cyclones, have access to clean water. Solutions should be found to stop salinity intrusion into coastal areas. In order to achieve this objective, the researchers should be provided with adequate facilities and take quick steps. Apart from sponsoring the spread of climate-tolerant technology, we must work to increase the capacity of institutions related to this sector.
Land can be protected from saline water runoff by constructing dams of suitable size. The recommended size should be one metre above the high tide level. Sluice gates need to be provided in the dam system to remove excess water and prevent saltwater intrusion during high tide. Land should be properly levelled to avoid the accumulation of runoff in low-lying basins with shallow groundwater tables and to facilitate uniform drainage of excess water.
It is also possible to increase the water-carrying capacity by re-widening the eroded river channels and to free them from all river encroachments. Besides, it has become very important to provide clean water to the people of the coastal areas by undertaking large-scale projects at the government level.
You can also make sure you have fresh water by digging deep ponds and building high walls around them to keep saltwater out. Also, different steps taken by the government, such as building big reservoirs to collect rainwater, can be put into action. These projects can be undertaken at the individual level as well as at the neighbourhood and village levels. But at the individual level, it must be ensured that the real victims benefit from fair distribution.
On World Water Day, we must be more aware of the need for clean water for all. In addition to taking measures to ensure that the water is not contaminated, every effort should be made to make the water free from arsenic. Attention should be paid to reducing underground water extraction and maximising surface water use for domestic and other purposes.
In this regard, the example of developed countries around the world can be followed. Seas and rivers should also be freed from pollution. Provisions should be made to ensure that industrial and chemical wastes are not dumped into rivers and oceans.
Researchers have long warned that the water crisis will intensify in the future and if a world war breaks out in the future, it will be over water. In all countries of the world, the crisis for clean water is taking a dire shape. In this context, the importance of World Water Day in our country is greater than in any other country.
The country has laws on water rights, according to which drinking water and water for cleaning and sanitation are considered rights. Just as everyone has the right to water, it is everyone's responsibility to prevent wastage and misuse of water. Therefore, rather than protecting the right to water by law only, it is appropriate to come forward with a shared responsibility among all.
Talukder Monjur Elahi is a senior official at United Commercial Bank Limited. He can be reached at: shimul.elahi@gmail.com
