Today is World Water Day. Development practitioners have agreed that water is the most influential factor to achieve the goals listed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Though the UN has recognised access to safe water as a basic human right, millions of people in the world are deprived of safe drinking water and it is resulting in many deaths every day due to different diseases. So, the development process is hindered.
Water is crucial to human health, and a minimum amount of water is required for the human body on a daily basis for survival. Water is also related to sanitation, personal hygiene, preventing various types of diseases, etc. A total of 748 million people cannot have access to safe drinking water without improved sanitation, so safe drinking water must be ensured.
The ecosystem provides people with food, goods, medicines, and many other products, and it also plays a vital role in nutrient cycling, water purification, and climate moderation. Bangladesh is disaster-prone and one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
It is predicted that 2% of the national GDP of Bangladesh will be reduced due to climate change. So, it is essential to keep the harmony of the ecosystem to successfully achieve the goals of sustainable development.
For this, adopting new adaptation strategies is essential. In this case, water is being considered the most vital aspect to making these adaptation strategies successful.
In sustainable development, priority is given to the highest utilisation of natural resources, but it must be ensured that there are no negative impacts on nature and the ecosystem. If the adaptation strategies become successful, the balance of the ecosystem will be ensured and the negative impact of climate change will be prevented.
Thus, there will be no obstacle in the highest utilisation of natural resources. Almost half the world’s population lives in urban areas, and it is forecasted two-thirds of the world will be urban-centric by 2050. A big portion of the urban population in Bangladesh lives in slums in miserable conditions, and are deprived of safe drinking water, sanitation, and improved hygiene facilities.
And the number is increasing. It will be very challenging to provide proper urban facilities for these urban-centric people because in most cases, urbanisation is promoted in a non-planned manner. There is no alternative to promoting proper urbanisation to achieve the goals of sustainable development.
Food security is a global concern as it is one of the most challenging issues for achieving sustainable development. Food security is directly connected to sustainable agriculture and sufficient water supply. The world will have to produce an additional 60% food to meet the demands of its population by 2050.
Sufficient water is very important for producing this amount of food. It will not be possible to meet the demand by rain-fed agriculture only. Other sources such as surface and groundwater need to be utilised properly for agricultural purposes to meet the extra food demand. Climate-affected countries like Bangladesh need special emphasis to get sufficient water for agricultural purposes. To ensure this, proper management of water is a must.
The duty of water collection is inexplicably bestowed on women, girls, and children in developing countries like Bangladesh. Research shows women of these countries spend one-fourth of their time collecting drinking water, ignoring domestic work. But the time spent is not considered as an investment in terms of income and gets no social recognition.
Sustainable development is not possible only by economic development. In this regard, social advancement and water governance is essential. Bangladesh, as a developing country, needs to put more emphasis on identifying the nexus between water and sustainable development.
Md Ashik Sarder is a development worker and researcher.