More than half of the drinking water sources in Khulna’s coastal upazila of Koyra have high salinity levels, while one in five adults aged 40 and above in Koyra and Satkhira’s Ashashuni face moderate to high risk of developing cardiovascular disease within the next decade, according to preliminary findings of a joint study.
The findings were presented on Sunday at a policy seminar titled “Drinking Water Salinity and Health in Bangladesh: Evidence, Adaptation and Policy Solutions” at icddr,b’s Sasakawa Auditorium in Mohakhali.
The study was conducted by icddr,b in collaboration with Imperial College London.
Researchers surveyed 27,697 water sources across 172 villages under 71 community clinics in Koyra and Ashashuni. Of these, 6,703 sources were used for drinking water.
The study found salinity in 55.3% of drinking water sources in Koyra, compared with 23.3% in Ashashuni.
Based on the findings, researchers proposed an integrated intervention package combining access to safe drinking water with primary healthcare.
The plan includes expanding access to low-salinity drinking water through community rainwater harvesting systems, pond sand filters and tube wells, alongside digital registries and routine monitoring of water sources.
The initiative also aims to strengthen the screening and treatment of hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease through primary healthcare, supported by an algorithm-based clinical decision support system for screening, referral, treatment and follow-up.
Imperial College London Professor Adrian Butler said storm surges caused by tropical cyclones can lead to long-term salinization of ponds and shallow groundwater.
He stressed the need to restore water sources quickly after cyclones and maintain coastal polders and embankments.
icddr,b Executive Director Dr Tahmeed Ahmed said Bangladesh still has limited evidence on the links between climate change and health.
He said effective adaptation requires integrating safe drinking water, primary healthcare and community participation.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary In-Charge Fahmida Khanom said drinking water salinity is both a climate adaptation and public health challenge that requires coordinated efforts across the environment, health, water and local government sectors.
Dr Md Lutfor Rahman, director general of the Department of Environment, said research of this kind provides institutions responsible for environmental management with a stronger basis for policy action.
“We need to strengthen monitoring and generate data for evidence-based decisions on managing drinking water in salinity-affected areas,” he said.
Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services Professor Dr Pravath Chandra Biswas said there was already years of evidence on the links between salinity and health.
“The task is to bring that evidence together and translate it into practical guidance and policy, while strengthening prevention and management of non-communicable diseases through primary healthcare,” he said.
The seminar also highlighted the need for stronger water quality monitoring, health-based sodium guidelines for drinking water, greater inter-ministerial coordination and sustainable management of drinking water sources.