An acute water crisis has almost paralysed the life in many districts of the country recently despite the repeated assurance from the authorities concerned about smooth supply of water during the summer. Crisis of drinking water has turned acute in Barind, coastal and southeast regions amid the extreme heat.
Water crunch in many areas of the country is compounded by drastic fall in aquifer level especially in Barind region making life of the people miserable.
Moreover, excessive salinity in the country’s coastal region has left the people living there in untold miseries during the summer.
Salinity higher than the permissible limit has been found in underground water caused by the cyclonic storm, flood and impact of climate change, making it difficult for the villagers to use well, pond and canal water. With the advent of summer the water crisis of this region became unbearable so that the coast people face acute water scarcity.
The entire country has been reeling from very severe heatwave since the first week of April and the shortage of drinking water has added to sufferings of people. Not only at home, people are also suffering at offices, educational institutions and even government and private hospitals due to the scarcity of pure water.
Poor water infrastructure and climate change are exacerbating climate vulnerabilities and the cascading effects on people’s lives in the country. Bangladesh has been on the front line of climate change for decades, repeatedly confronting heatwaves, tropical cyclones, floods and drought. Between 2000 and 2019, the country experienced 185 extreme weather, making it the seventh most vulnerable to climate change.
Chuadanga on Friday recorded the highest temperature of this season at 42.7 degree Celsius. The relentless heatwave searing Bangladesh has become the longest on record, continuing for 24 days while meteorologists warn it is unlikely to relent any time soon.
Shortage of drinking
water has added to
sufferings of people
In Barind region the gradually declining water resources are posing a serious threat to the living and livelihood conditions of the marginalised and other less-income group families in the water-stressed area. Barind region and west are hanging in the balance as drought and low levels of water in key rivers, and drying up of other water bodies have put water out of reach for many people in Barind region.
The Barind region is the largest Pleistocene era pysiographic unit in Bangladesh covering most of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna, Rajshahi and Bogra, which faces drought during every dry season for lack of water. The drought-prone area is turning into an extreme drought zone owing to scarcity of water due to the adverse impact of climate change and other environmental degradations.
Surface water conservation is of essence of mitigating the water crisis, which is being deepened due to deficit of rainfall, in the vast Barind tract. Inadequate rainfall has been escalating the crises in the region for the last few years.
Local meteorological office recorded 1,400 millimeters of rainfall in a year on an average in the Barind region for the last 30 years. Prospects of boosting irrigation by surface water is very bright in Rajshahi Barind area as it has scores of natural water bodies which remain uncared for and derelict condition at present.
Time has come to extend necessary knowledge and devices to the communities to make them capable of availing the opportunities of rainwater harvesting technologies. Immediate initiative should be taken to maintain round-the-year drinking water supply to the poor and vulnerable villagers, where, power supply is available.
On the other hand, drinking saline water for a long time has made the coast people physically weak. They are also compelled to buy saline-free drinking water. The government must also take immediate measures to save the coast people and avert a catastrophe.