Water Manifesto from the edge of coastal Bangladesh

The water crisis is one of the areas of vulnerability for coastal people. A lack of drinkable water has been featured as one of the key crises in the coastal region in a report by the Bangladesh National Programme of Action for Protection of the Coastal and Marine Environment on Land-Based Activities.

Salinity, a lack of proper water management, and the lack of proper management and maintenance of embankments are the main issues behind the ongoing water crisis in the coastal areas. Less rainfall against need, loss of river navigability, receding of underground water table, direct and indirect impact of climate change, and human-induced crises worsened the situation.

Around 3 crore 90 lakh people reside in 19 coastal districts in Bangladesh. Out of them, 3 crore coastal people don't have access to safe drinking water, forcing them to drink saline water as there is no alternative to it. In research done in 2019, it was found that only 12 percent of coastal people have access to safe water, while 64 percent don't. The Public Health Engineering Department says that salinity ranging from zero to 1000 milligrammes per litre is considered safe for drinking. But in the coastal region, the salinity ranges from 1000 milligrammes to 10,000 milligrammes per litre.

The use of such saline water in daily chores and cooking causes people to suffer from heart disease, stroke, and hypertension. The statistic asserts that 61 percent of coastal people suffer from severe health conditions due to salinity. On the other hand, people suffer from diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and fever due to the drinking of contaminated surface water. According to the World Bank, in the south-western region, among the four reasons liable for child death, four are linked to contaminated water. Experts are of the opinion that, just due to the water crisis, human displacement is on the rise in the coastal region.

The struggle for safe drinking water has become a part of coastal people's daily life. They have to spend a significant amount of time on the collection of drinking water. Many are forced to buy water, costing them 50 to 70 paisa per litre, as they fail to collect water in spite of exerting time and labor. The families that are spending money on water are curtailing their expenditure on other necessities, which is affecting their nutrition intake.

The water crisis creates multi-faceted problems for women in coastal regions. The number of women and children being affected by water-borne diseases is higher than that of men. The use of excessive saline water exposes them to reproductive health complications. Apart from this, vaginal itching, abdominal pain, leucorrhea, and pelvic inflammatory disease are common phenomena for women to suffer from. This forces them to have their uterus surgically removed. It is not quite uncommon that the husband marries a second time after the first wife went through surgery to remove her uterus. The prevalence of hypertension and epilepsy during pregnancy among coastal women is higher than that of women from any other region. The percentage of pre-eclampsia and hypertension in pregnant women from salinity-hit areas rose to 39.5 percent from 6.8 percent.

Safe water is the basis of all human rights. The United Nations declared the right to safe water a human right in 2010. It has been thirteen years since the declaration, but ensuring safe water for coastal people still remains a distant dream. Article 15 of the constitution clearly articulates that it is the onus of the state to ensure food, clothing, shelter, education, and healthcare for all citizens, and it has been mentioned as a fundamental duty of the state. Though the state has formulated laws and policies and has taken up various projects, access to safe water has remained elusive, which has even exacerbated the water crisis, which is being cashed in by some through commercialization and privatisation of water.

The 12th national parliamentary election is imminent. The political parties started drafting their manifestos. We want the commitment from political parties that their manifesto will accommodate the pressing need for safe water access for coastal people. Here we raise ten points of demand to mitigate the water crisis on behalf of the mass population, and we strongly believe that if the demands are included in the manifesto with a specific action plan to execute the demands, it would alleviate the perennial sufferings for safe water in the coastal region.

1. Declare the coastal regions as water-scarce area as per section-17 of Water Act 

The coastal region, which is known as a crisis-hit area induced by climate change, was identified as one of the six hotspots that pose challenges in the execution of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. Pinpointing the water resources, its demand based on the assessment of climate change impact, adopting a time-befitting approach, taking specific development proposals, and its implementation by declaring the coastal region a water-scarce area are crucial to mitigating the water crisis in the coastal area.

2. Increase the number of sustainable water sources in light of the ecosystem

Build water infrastructure based on the availability of water and the distance between water sources instead of building single water sources like rainwater harvesting and pond sand filter systems. Apart from this, increase the number of sustainable water sources through planning and taking into account the cultivation pattern, water courses, land pattern, and categorization of the agro-ecosystem of Ganges tidal alluvial, mid-Meghna alluvial, and fresh alluvial at the estuary of Meghna.

3. Take priority project and increase allocation in budget to ensure universal, just, and safe availability of water 

Adequate budget and investment must be intensified to build water services and infrastructure based on a need assessment, as well as collect and analyse data on the water crisis, its types, and its impact. Research shows that though the ADP allocation has seen an upward trend, the percentage of the proportional hike falls short compared to the overall ADP. The government must invest in technology and infrastructure to make sure people have access to safe water in all remote districts, including the coastal region. To safeguard the coast, rivers, waterbodies, forests, and wildlife, the government must have a proper plan and action plan.

4. Expedite the activities of National Water Resource Council and Bangladesh Water Development Board 

As per the Bangladesh Water Development Board Act 2000, Bangladesh Water Development is authorised to control the water courses of all rivers, waterbodies, and underground water reserves. As per the mission of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, water-related disaster management and food security must be ensured in light of Coastal Region Management to mitigate the salinity impact. The responsibilities inferred from the Bangladesh Water Resources Council are not visible, though Section 4 of the Bangladesh Water Act-2013 requires the council to instruct on water governance, fair utilisation, safe intake of water, balanced distribution, and conservation.

5. Increase the use of surface water in agriculture instead of relying on underground water

Irrigation accounts for 78 percent of underground water in Bangladesh. Data from the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation show that the number of shallow machines used in irrigation was 1,33,800 in 1985, which rose to 16 lacs in 2016. Through the execution of the Water Act, steps must be taken to rein in the unbridled use of underground water. Simultaneously, pollution of surface water must come to an end. There must be a balance between water use and water sources, as said in the 1992 World Earth Conference (Rio Conference).

6. Ensure 100 percent efficiency of water service through improvement and making institutional management, water policy, and practice people's friendly 

Make the water service a part of infrastructural development as well as ensure research outcomes and evidence-based mechanisms for sustainable water management. The government must ensure the people's participation in the procedures of water governance and service, continuing regular research to keep water service efficient. In the case of any experiment in the coastal region to deal with the water crisis, local community knowledge must be accommodated. The government initiative must take the local knowledge that has pragmatic results into consideration in its endeavor. The authority must integrate the practices of the water source, distribution system, and efficient water management. Prioritise the importance of accountability, transparency, and efficiency in institutional water management.

7. Stop the filling up of fresh water sources and shut down the industrial entities that could contaminate fresh water sources

The salinity increased in the coastal region as saline water was held back for four decades for commercial shrimp farming, which led to the salinity of fresh water sources and soil. On the other hand, unplanned urbanisation and industrialization prevent surface water from dripping into the underground water reservoir. It was stipulated to treat the river, canals, fountain, floodplain, pond, and rainwater-containing area as natural water bodies under the Natural Water body Conservation Act 2000. Even the High Court instructed authorities to issue a gazette treating privately owned ponds as natural water bodies. But in reality, we see residential blocks and industry making their way by earth-filling the water bodies. This necessitates action to stop such practices to protect fresh water sources at any cost. 

8. Intensify the re-use of surface water by increasing the navigability of rivers and excavating new water bodies in barren land. 

In every part of the country, the water sources have been jeopardised either by pollution or encroachment. On the other hand, water is being extracted from the underground in an unplanned and unscientific way. It's imperative to lessen pressure on underground water as well as ensure the proper use of surface water in the country. Area-wise, in Jolmohal, small or large canals have already been grabbed, leaving no option for water conservation. That's why ponds or water bodies must be excavated in barren land or dried-up rivers, canals, and ponds, ensuring adequate depth so that water can be stored for all seasons. The strategy of using rainwater harvesting in ponds for agricultural purposes, which became a success after applying it for agri-production, must be expanded.

9. Formulating coordinated action plan consisting of government and private entities to ensure right to safe water 

Apart from the Bangladesh Constitution, the Water Act -2013, section-3 considers the drinking and use of water as a universal right. There are initiatives from the government to mitigate the water crisis, along with various non-government organisations working in water management, distribution, and technological and pragmatic efficiency development. Adopt a balanced, coordinated action plan accommodating the public-private partnership to expedite the access of all to safe water. Stop the commercialization of water in the coastal region and instead initiate a coordinated plan, considering access to water as a universal right to facilitate water access for all.

10. Ensure projections and plans about water demand and supply prior to taking any development projects and implementation in the coastal region 

Though the coastal region has seen a lot of industrialization over the years, there is no plan taken up on the water demand and its supply. The underground water crisis appeared after industries that saw the erosion of their equipment due to the use of saline water started extracting large volumes of underground water. In the case of setting up any industry or project in the coastal region, a projection of water demand and supply must be done before project planning and implementation. The industrial entity will manage water on their own by not harming underground water.