Safe Water Adaptability for Salinity, Arsenic and Drought Risks in Southwest of Bangladesh

Abstract

In recent years, access to safe drinking water has been a major problem in many countries in the world. The scarcity of safe drinking water is increasing due to increase in population, changing lifestyles and urbanization. Bangladesh, known as the “land of water,” also faces a safe drinking water crisis. Particularly, the Southwestern part of Bangladesh experiences scarcity of safe drinking water due to salinity intrusion along with arsenic‐contaminated groundwater and recurring drought. In this context, an exploratory study is undertaken in two severe safe water scarce areas namely Khulna and Satkhira districts of Bangladesh. The study developed and utilized the SIPE approach to measure safe water adaptability index considering socio‐economic, institutional, physiochemical, and environmental perspectives of the targeted area. With regard to overall safe water adaptability index, results show that overall safe water adaptability scores range from 2.16 to 3.13. Moreover, based on the score, five upazilas (sub‐districts) have medium, 10 upazilas have low and one upazila has very low adaptability among 16 upazilas in Khulna and Satkhira districts. Through the adaptability index, the capacity of upazilas and gap between different levels is measured which can guide the review of existing policy and provide recommendations for a safe water adaptability action plan .