Once we heard that in coming days there may be war for water. It seems that the world is approaching such situation as dispute over water sharing is on the increase. Apart from water sharing, there are many issues related to water resources both at national and international levels. Bangladesh has 57 trans-boundary rivers, of which 54 are with India and 3 with Myanmar.

Bangladesh is thought to be rich in water resources – may be called a country of water. Hundreds of rivers, canals and other water bodies are the sources of surface water. Similarly, the country is also rich in groundwater. Bangladesh receives a huge amount of rainfall during monsoon.

Bangladesh is a land of rivers that mostly provide us with water, but many of them are now under threat due to unbridled pollution. Moreover, construction of illegal structures on the banks of rivers and canals has narrowed the water bodies.

Water pollution is the number one problem in Bangladesh. River pollution in some rivers has reached an extreme condition. Fishes in the rivers, including Turag, Buriganga and Balu, near urban areas have almost become extinct. The condition of rivers flowing across rural areas is also not good. Many people fear to eat river fishes. On the other hand, river bed siltation poses a serious threat to many rivers. Many rivers near the urban areas are dying due to grabbing of the river banks.

Bangladesh has been suffering the consequences of construction of Farakka Barrage on the Ganges. The barrage (11 miles from Bangladesh’s border) was built to divert water in the Hoogly River for flushing silt from the river. But Bangladesh is not getting sufficient amount of water due to the dam. Consequently, many rivers of Bangladesh have dried up or almost dried up. During winter season many parts of the country, especially northern region, do not get adequate water for irrigation. Farmers have to rely on groundwater for irrigation. But excessive withdrawal of groundwater results in depletion of the water level.

Bangladesh has so far relied mainly on groundwater for drinking water. But drinking of groundwater has become risky due to arsenic pollution. In the rural areas arsenic was detected in 61 districts. In addition, the level of groundwater in the cities is rapidly depleting due to excessive withdrawal of water. So water problem is acute in the cities and the situation worsens during summer.

Now the impacts of climate change add to our woes. Bangladesh has been witnessing erratic rainfall, drought, and flood due to climate change. During flood fresh water become scarce. Moreover, many water bodies get polluted due to flood which visits the country frequently in the urban areas. Besides, tube wells which are only source of drinking water in villages get polluted due to flood. So the villagers have to suffer a lot due to shortage of drinking water. Another impact of climate change is the rise in sea level. Saline water is intruding into the coastal areas of the country due to the rise in the sea level. A vast track of arable land is becoming unsuitable for farming. Besides, people of these coastal areas are suffering from shortage of drinking water due to salinity intrusion. People bring fresh water by trawler from nearby districts. It is true for both Chittagong and Khulna cities.

We have a huge amount of water but we could not manage it properly. As a result, we have to suffer from shortage of fresh water. If we do not become aware of the current situation and do no take necessary steps, then we would not be able to meet the growing demand of our population. To address these issues we need to take effective steps to ensure equal sharing of water resources with neighbouring countries, prevent water pollution at any cost and conserve water bodies along with harnessing new water options like rainwater harvesting.

The writer is a contributor to daily sun.