Poor water infrastructure and climate change are exacerbating climate vulnerabilities in the country, putting lives of people, particularly in the rural areas, at jeopardy, a study says.
Bangladesh has been on the front line of climate change for decades, confronting heat wave, tropical cyclones, floods and droughts almost every year.
Between 2000 and 2019, the country experienced 185 extreme weather events, making it the world’s seventh most vulnerable to climate change. In June 2023, country’s temperature surpassed 40°C during a prolonged heat wave.
Water shortage are compounding sufferings of lakhs of people in many areas across the country. People, particularly in Barind region suffer a lot due to acute safe water crisis caused by drastic fall in aquifer level.
Gradual decline in water resources are posing a serious threat to the living and livelihood conditions of the marginalised and low-income group families in the water-stressed area, according reports published in different national dailies.
People living in Barind region and the western region of the country face drought and low water level of the major rivers. Drying up of water bodies such as haor and beels are the main reasons for severe water crisis.
People, particularly in
Barind region suffer a
lot due to acute
safe water crisis
The Barind region is the largest Pleistocene era pysiographic unit in Bangladesh, covering most of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna, Rajshahi and Bogra, which faces drought in every dry season.
This region is turning into an extreme drought zone due to the adverse impact of climate change and other environmental degradations.
Tribal people and other villagers who live in this region as crisis of drinking water is very acute there.
Surface water conservation is essential to mitigate the water crisis, which is deepening due to deficit of rainfall, in the vast Barind tract. Inadequate rainfall has been worsening the water crisis 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 using surface water is very bright in Barind area as it has scores of natural water bodies which remain uncared for at present.
Time has come to disseminate necessary knowledge and devices to the communities to make them capable of availing the opportunities of rainwater harvesting technologies. Therefore, immediate initiative should be taken to maintain round-the-year drinking water supply to the poor and vulnerable rural people.