In 2026 the drinking water crisis in the coastal areas of southwestern Bangladesh, especially in the coastal districts of Satkhira, Khulna, and Bagerhat has turned into a humanitarian disaster.
Sea level has risen and successive cyclones have caused saline intrusion into both groundwater and surface water sources. As a result, millions of people across vast areas are forced to walk miles every day for a single drop of fresh water.
Depth of the crisis and human rights: Although at the start of 2026 Bangladesh’s higher judiciary have recognized the right to safe water as a fundamental human right but the reality in the coastal areas is different.
Research shows that women in coastal areas spend on average four to six hours daily collecting water from distant fresh water sources. Drinking excessively saline water has raised alarming concerns about high blood pressure among pregnant women and children and an increase in various skin diseases. In addition, salinization of agricultural land is forcing the abandonment of traditional rice cultivation.
Solar-powered desalination and rainwater harvesting: To address this natural and human-made crisis, some modern environmentally friendly technologies are now being used:
- Solar-powered desalination plants: Small solar desalination units are being installed in coastal areas to make seawater drinkable at low cost.
- Rainwater harvesting: Large modern tanks are being installed at institutional and household levels to capture excess pre-monsoon rainfall.
- Salt-tolerant agriculture: Salt-tolerant rice varieties developed by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) are now giving farmers a new ray of hope.
Short-term NGO-dependent projects alone are not enough to resolve the coastal water crisis. Under the framework of the Delta Plan 2100, the mega-project to increase river navigability and thereby restore the southward flow of fresh water must be implemented rapidly.
