SAFE DRINKING WATER
40pc people don’t have access to it: speakers
For Kochi Begum and others in her community, the gradual intrusion of saline water has been a major challenge, as it has been affecting their reproductive health.
"The water has even affected my menstrual cycle. Every day I have to fetch safe water far from home," said Kochi Begum of Patuakhali's Rangabali upazila, while sharing her hardship at a discussion session titled "Access to Safe Water in Climate Vulnerable Areas: A Gender Perspective."
The discussion was organised by "Community-Based Resilience, Women's Empowerment and Action (CREA)" Project of Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), marking World Water Day 2024.
Dr Sujit Kumar Bala, chairman of Dhaka WASA, said, "There is a lack of availability of freshwater in the coastal areas. Floods and cyclones further exacerbate the existing water crisis. Efforts are being made to cope with this situation by utilising nature-based solutions, but they are insufficient."
"It is time to look into the water-related issues in our coastal areas," he added.
Women are referred to as 'water managers' around the world because they are more involved in water collection, usage, and supply. As a result, they are unable to participate in income-generating and agricultural activities while spending extra time collecting water, causing them to struggle financially.
In her keynote paper, Hasin Jahan, country director of WaterAid Bangladesh, shared statistics showing only 15 out of every 100 people in the country can get water from pipes.
Forty out of every 100 people don't have access to safe drinking water. Also, 26 million people have to drink water from shallow wells that have too much salt in them, she said.
"The risk of infant mortality also increases due to the consumption of excess salt water during pregnancy," said Hasin.
"Women are referred to as 'water managers' around the world because they are more involved in water collection, usage, and supply. As a result, women are unable to participate in income-generating and agricultural activities while spending extra time collecting water, causing them to struggle financially," she added.
Shaheen Anam, executive director of MJF, said access to safe water is a basic human right and these rights are violated due to calamities such as floods and cyclones.
There is a lack of availability of freshwater in the coastal areas. Floods and cyclones further exacerbate the existing water crisis. Efforts are being made to cope with this situation by utilising nature-based solutions, but they are insufficient.
"But we often overlook the gender perspective of it, specifically how a woman or girl suffers as a result of it," she said.
"We want a collaborative approach to solve the crisis. The government alone cannot solve this. So, the private sector and NGOs like us must find a way to collaborate with the government," she said.
Dharitri Kumar Sarkar, deputy secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Md Robiul Alam, joint secretary of Ministry of Water Resources, also spoke.
After the discussion, Shaheen Anam guided the guests around the photo exhibition. The exhibition's theme was "Climate Change and Vulnerability of Women."