Bangladesh Water Crisis
The WHO estimates that 97% of Bangladesh's population have access to water and only 40% have adequate sanitation. With a staggering 60% of the population having to withstand unsafe drinking water, the nation is in danger. The availability of this water fluctuates considerably throughout the year, as the hottest season brings monsoons and the colder season brings drought. The infrastructure cannot adequately manage the burst of water in the monsoon season, so water is not spared for the driest months. Of the available water, over 80% is used for agriculture.
The great rivers (Brahmaputra, Meghna and Ganges) all originate in other countries, and the amount of water that eventually arrives in Bangladesh is severely limited by the rapidly expanding populations of China and India. Only 7% of the total land that creates the river basins of these rivers is in Bangladesh.
Compounding the problem is increasing salinity, driven partly by the Farakka Barrage in India, which diverts water from the Ganges. Climate change and sea-level rise are also pulling saltwater into freshwater river deltas, affecting soil and groundwater quality.
Groundwater, used by nearly 90% of the population, is also contaminated with arsenic - contributing to one of the largest mass poisonings in history, affecting an estimated 30-35 million people in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government continues working to improve rainwater capture and safe drinking water access, and more than 100,000 safe water points have been created to date.