NATURAL DISASTERS IMPACT ON THE WATER CYCLE, RESOURCES, QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract

Bangladesh is facing the threat of global warming and sea level rise. This impact is severe in the coastal region. Proper water resources management is must in this problematic area. The coastal belt of Bangladesh is under a polder system. This system protects the mass people from great threats of natural and man maid calamities over the time. Human requirement of water is increasing day by day as life is getting better and better. So, a good management is required to augment the water resources. This research is aimed at filling the gaps in existing knowledge and management of Bangladesh's surface water resources. One of the challenges facing water managers understands how changing land use and land cover, evaporation and floods impact surface water resources. We are developing tools and methods to manage the increased pressure on water resources from different users and the competition for water between competing uses including interception from vegetation (such as plantation forestry or farming). Surface water resources are replenished by floodplain inundation and groundwater recharge from landscapes, but these events are episodic so the dynamics of the water balance need to be understood to fully appreciate the implications of variable and changing climate.

Full text

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Civil Engineering for Sustainable Development
(ICCESD-2014), 14~16 February 2014, KUET, Khulna, Bangladesh
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NATURAL DISASTERS IMPACT ON THE WATER CYCLE, RESOURCES,
QUALITY AND HUMAN HEALTH
N.N. Setu1 Shahadat Hossain2 Rupayan Saha3 M. Rahman4
1Masters student, IDMVS, Dhaka University, House # 220, East Goran, Khilgaon, Dhaka-1219
E-mail: nahar_khan77@yahoo.com
2Junior Engineer, Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), House # 496, Road # 32, New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1206,
Bangladesh, E-mail:shn@iwmbd.org, shlitonbuet@gmail.com
3Junior Engineer, Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), House # 496, Road # 32, New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1206,
Bangladesh, E-mail:rsa@iwmbd.org
4Junior Engineer, Institute of Water Modeling (IWM), House # 496, Road # 32, New DOHS, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1206,
Bangladesh, E-mail:msq@iwmbd.org
ABSTRACT
Bangladesh is facing the threat of global warming and sea level rise. This impact is severe in the coastal region.
Proper water resources management is must in this problematic area. The coastal belt of Bangladesh is under a
polder system. This system protects the mass people from great threats of natural and man maid calamities over
the time. Human requirement of water is increasing day by day as life is getting better and better. So, a good
management is required to augment the water resources. This research is aimed at filling the gaps in existing
knowledge and management of Bangladesh’s surface water resources. One of the challenges facing water
managers understands how changing land use and land cover, evaporation and floods impact surface water
resources. We are developing tools and methods to manage the increased pressure on water resources from
different users and the competition for water between competing uses including interception from vegetation
(such as plantation forestry or farming). Surface water resources are replenished by floodplain inundation and
groundwater recharge from landscapes, but these events are episodic so the dynamics of the water balance need
to be understood to fully appreciate the implications of variable and changing climate.
Keywords: Bangladesh Natural Disasters, WR Engineering, Disaster Management
1. INTRODUCTION
Bangladesh is in the permanent stage of disaster due to its geographical position. Being the greatest delta in the
world, Bangladesh faces natural disaster like floods, cyclones, river erosion every year. Bangladesh is prone to
floods, the most recent flood takes place in Bangladesh is result of cyclone Sidr (November 15, 2007). It was
cyclonic storm that brings havoc in southern and central Bangladesh. It killed almost 4000 people and injured
about 30.000. Unofficial sources say that the numbers are even higher. The aftermath of the cyclone was more
devastating. Sidr lefts flood to the country that took 60,000 houses. But this all was not our fault, almost 3
million people were evacuated from the cyclonic zone but the result was still beyond the imagination. The
secondary impacts of the cyclone or the devastating flood is the bare land,trees were uprooted, crops were
destroyed, entire roads and bridges were totally washed away, telephone poles were smashed to the ground,
electricity was cut off and livestock was killed. This situation tremendously affects our already fragile economy.
Specialists blame deforestation and climate change as the main actors for frequent flooding. Climate change
causes the sea water levels to rise, meaning that the coast of Bangladesh will narrow each year and will get
flooded more often.The most frequent natural disaster harming our resource quality, health system and
misbalancing water cycle.
2. NATURAL DISASTERS IN KHULNA
Khulna is generally subjected to natural hazards such as flash flood, cyclonic storm surges and tornado almost
every year (Fig 2.1). In addition, the region has severe constraints due to certain unfavorable soil and land
qualities such as salinity and water-logging. Also included are a plethora of hydro-geo-morphological hazards
which include poor drainage through its river systems, high rates of sedimentation on river beds, acute low flow
conditions during the dry season, salinity ingress along the rivers, moisture stress in the dry season, rise in sea
level, and to a lesser extent, and flood. While Chittagong located in the coastal zone and Khulna lying in the
exposed coastal zones of the country, these regions are significantly influenced by tidal effects.

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Fig 2.1: Natural hazard areas in Bangladesh.
2.1 Natural Disasters in Bangladesh
Natural calamity means natural disaster which is caused by nature.e.g.
 Floods
 Cyclones
 Tsunami
 Earthquake
 River erosions
 Drought etc.
2.2 Water Cycle
The water cycle is called the hydrologic cycle. In the hydrologic cycle, water from oceans, lakes, swamps,
rivers, plants, can turn into water vapor. Water vapor condenses into millions of tiny droplets that form clouds.
Clouds lose their water as rain or snow, which is called precipitation. Precipitation is either absorbed into the
ground or runs off into rivers. Water that was absorbed into the ground is taken up by plants. Plants lose water
from their surfaces as vapor back into the atmosphere. Water that runs off into rivers flows into ponds, lakes, or
oceans where it evaporates back into the atmosphere.
2.3 Problems
Bangladesh is the lowest riparian of three major river system of south Asia namely the Ganges –padma, the
Brahmaputra, jamuna and the meghna-barak. Another feature is the funnel shaped Bay of Bengal in the south
part creates the land as the meeting place of monsoon rains. The land of Bangladesh is flat, with some up-lands
in the northeast and the southeast. The great plain lies almost at sea level along the southern part of the country
and raises gradually towards the north. Land elevation in the plain varies from 1 to 90 meters above the mean
sea level. The maximum elevation is 1231 m in hill district.this information surely showed up the reasons

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behind further natural calamities. The main target of this study is to find out the reasons, loss and damage
assessment for natural disaster, especially flood in Khulna region.
Fig 2.2: Cyclonic storm surges
According to available statistics on Coastal Zone, majority of land is within one meter from mean sea level, a
significant proportion of which again falls below high-tide level (Fig 2.2). Over the past few years, natural
disasters in this south eastern region have become more frequent and devastating. After the flood in 1998, there
was another inundation in 2004 that flooded about 2/3rd of the country including the dry & drought prone south-
eastern regions and affected in total more than 30 million people and destroyed around 2 million acres of crop
land (www.dmb.com). In October 2008, the southwest coast was hit by Cyclone Rashmi, and in November of
the same year Cyclone Sidr (Fig 2.3), a category four super cyclone, hit the south and south-west coast causing
extensive damage and the loss of over 4,000 lives. Cyclone Sidr devastated around 4 million families and
displaced 6 million people.
Fig 2.3: Cyclone Aila washed the some of Khulna district area with saline water.

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In 2009, cyclone Aila , the category 1 cyclone, hit South-Eastern coastal region of Bangladesh on 25 May 2009
and affected 1 million people, displaced around 2 lakh, damaged embankment and 6393 acres of crop fields with
saline water (WorldWide, DanChurchAid, MuslimAid, Relief, Oxfam-GB, & Children-UK, 2009). Cyclone
Aila affected an estimated 3.90 million people in 11 coastal districts of the Bangladesh’s 64 districts. About 2.3
million people were affected by Aila and many of them stranded in flooded villages as they had no alternative to
save themselves. Even though Aila was a weak category cyclone by definition, its economic cost outweighs the
impacts of Super cyclone Sidr and brought in long-term sufferings for the southeastern people of Bangladesh.
The impact was aggravated as the cyclone hit Bangladesh during the high tide cycle that resulted to tidal surges
of up to 22 feet. The surge of water caused portions of the embankments to collapse and people who believed
that the embankments could protect them did not have enough time to evacuate to higher and safer ground.
During Cyclone Aila, the storm spent more time over-land than Cyclone SIDR in 2007, lingering over the coast
of Bangladesh and increasing its impact on the vulnerable villages. Over 50% of displaced people (more than
200,000) are still living in the same condition in severely affected Khulna and Shatkhira District (Dasgupta, et
al., 2011). The devastations left by Cyclone Aila still remain chronic till date jeopardizing the livelihood
patterns and settlements in the area.
3. EFFECTS OF LACK OF SAFE DRINKING WATER
The effects of scarcity of safe drinking water in
south-eastern region can have health, social and
financial implication. People in the region suffer
from various diseases caused by drinking an
insufficient amount of water and drinking water
with high levels of salinity, impurity or arsenic
contamination. Various skin diseases, intestinal
diseases, dysentery, fever and diarrhea are part of
life. Other health concerns linked to a lack of safe
drinking water include malnutrition amongst
women and children, reproductive problems for
pregnant women, skin turning black, physical
weakness and anxiety. (Fig 3.1)
Fig 3.1: long line for safe water.
Women and girls face a number of rights abuses as a direct result of the lack of safe drinking water. in rural
bangladesh it is the women’s role to collect drinking water. The drinking water can be many kilometers from the
home and there are frequent incidents of violence against women and girls for not fetching drinking water on
time or not having meals prepared because of the amount of time it takes to fetch water.
Fetching water means women do not have time to tend to their homestead garden, which is often their only
source of productivity and income. there are other social crises associated with poor access to safe drinking
water: the education of children is hampered; young children are often left unattended when their mother goes to
fetch water; they are frequent incidents of child labor; the household has less time to socialise and develop
social networks; women are teased and harassed on their way to fetch water; social stigma prevents girls getting
married and leads to an increased rate of divorce; population migration; and local contentions and litigations
related to water use have become a regular phenomena.gathering drinking water means a significant amount of
productive hours is consumed. Household expenditure increases to purchase fresh water to enable cultivation of
crops. Cost of buying vegetables increases whilst the durability of houses is reduced and scarcity of food occurs.
Maintaining livestock and poultry become difficult. Scarcity of organic fertilizer makes carrying out agricultural
activities difficult. All these factors together constitute a major economic problem for the poor.
4. STUDY AREA
4.1 About khulna
Khulna is located in south-western Bangladesh with a total area of 59.57 km², while the district itself is about
4394.46 km². It lies south of Jessore and Narail, East of Sathkhira, West of Bagerhat and North of the Bay of
Bengal. It is part of the largest delta in the world. In the southern part of the delta lies the Sundarban, the world's
largest mangrove forest. The city of Khulna is in the northern part of the district, and is mainly an expansion of
trade centers close to the Rupsha and Bhairob rivers.Like the other big cities of Bangladesh, notably Dhaka and
Chittagong, Khulna is undergoing a major transformation, due to its immensely growing population and its
status as Bangladesh's third largest city. Because of its strategic location of only 45 km from the port Mongla,
Khulna is considered as being a port city like Chittagong. 25% of all trade handled in Bangladesh passes

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through Mongla, while the rest goes through Chittagong1. Khulna is also known as the city of Shrimps, because
75% of all shrimps exported from Bangladesh are cultivated in the Khulna zone. In addition to this, a major
portion of the Golden Fiber (Jute) is exported through Khulna Zone. Khulna is famous for its fish and seafood
industries. Lobster, Prawn, Catfish, Shrimp and Crab are now being exported abroad from Khulna.
4.2 Climatic Condition
Khulna city experiences Indian Ocean monsoon climatic conditions. The area experiences four meteorological
seasons; pre-monsoon (March to may), monsoon (June to September), post-monsoon (October to November)
and dry (December to February). Average annual rainfall is in the range of 1,700 to 2,200 mm. about 70%
rainfall occurs during the period from June to September. Mean monthly rainfall during the same period is
between 300 to 450 mm. maximum daily rainfall is about 200 mm but it is increasing. In 2004, the maximum
daily rainfall was 364 mm. average temperature range is between 25ºc to 31ºc. Maximum temperature may rise
up to 40ºc and may go down to 6ºc. Average humidity remains at 80% to 90%.
4.3 Topography
The city area, the central part of the greater Khulna is occupied by the southern half of the Sundarban tract. The
rest of the area is covered by the floodplain of the jamuna, paDMA and Meghna Rivers. A remarkable
difference in the ground elevation can be observed throughout the Khulna city, which is reflected in distinct
landforms: high lands, low lands, and abandoned channels and depressions. Ground elevation of the city varies
from 0.5 m to 12 m (pwd). About 60% and 70% of the city area includes low lands, abandoned channels and
depressions and the elevation of these areas vary from 0.5 to 5 m (pwd). (Fig 4.1)
Figure 4.1: Flood prone area map of Khulna City core area
1 With the sea level rise Mongla Port may have more operations and therefore more activities. Even 1 meter rise
will make many coastal river ports more active and navigation will increase further. Creeks, canals and small
rivers, which are now not under operations likely to come under operation with sea level rise.

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4.4 Meteroligicaal Status
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangaldesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in
Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial
center. According to the Calcutta Gazettee, Khulna was declared as municipality on September 8, 1884 by the
then Governor (http://www.khulnacity.org/). It has a seaport named Mongla at its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna
City. The population of the city, under the jurisdiction of the City Corporation, was 855,650 in 2007. The wider
Statistical Metropolitan Area had at the same time an estimated population of 1,388,4252. The annual average
temperature for Khulna is 35.5 °C with a record low of 12.5 °C (Wikepdia).
4.5 Water sources
Source of drinking water: Data (Table 4.1) on source of drinking water show that Khulna have highest number
of tap water use while again deep tubewell use also very high in Khulna. In case of other towns dependency on
other source is much higher than Khulna. Interestingly there is no dependency on open water use which means
some kind of arranged water use is practiced. In 2030 and 2050 dependency on tap water will increase further
which means more use of tap water will be there. Shallow tubewell use in Bagerhat is less as there is more
salinity in upper level of groundwater.
Source of water for domestic use: Again source of domestic water use (Table 4.1) is different in Khulna from
Bagerhat and Sathkhira. Khulna has more dependency mainly on deep tubewell and tap water while other two
towns have different scenario. Reasons for having different scenario in those towns are mainly because of low
DTW than Khulna. In 2030 and 2050 there will be more dependency on tap water like Dhaka.
Table 4.1: Water sources in Khulna City
Source of drinking water Khulna District Domestic Water Source Khulna District
Tap water
0.01% 2.70%
100.00%
15.80%
1.30%
4.70%
12.20%
63.30%
0.00%
100.00%
10.00%
0.30%
3.00%
13.70%
72.80%
0.20%
Bottled water
Total
Tap water inside house
Tap water in front of the house
Govt. tap or tap at road side
Shallow tubewell (< 500 ft)
Deep tubewell (<500+ ft)
Dug well
Surface water (pond, canal etc.)
Total
Tap water in front of the house
Govt. tap pipe/ road side tap
Shallow tubewell (<500 ft)
Deep tubewell (500+ ft)
Pond/ irrigation canal
4.6 Existing Water Supply System
Residents of Khulna city are suffering from serious water crisis as Khulna Water and Sewerage Authority
(Wasa) is currently supplying only nine crore litres of water against the daily demand of 24 crore litres for
around 15 lakh people of Khulna city.About half of the remaining 15 crore litre of water is being supplied
through 3748 tube-wells installed by Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and 22,701 other private owned tube-
wells.And so, a good number of city dwellers have to depend on other sources including ponds for water.
Khulna Wasa has 73 large 'production' tube-wells which are used to supply nine crore litres of water through
pipelines for the subscribers in Khulna city, officials said. Khulna Wasa has undertaken a Tk 2,500 crore
'Khulna Water Supply Project' that has already got approval from the Executive Committee of National
Economic Council for implementation.The water brought from the Madhumati will be purified at the water
treatment plant at Shamantashena and supplied through pipelines to the subscribers of Khulna city.The proposed
water supply project includes installation of 700 kilometres of pipeline.Works for acquiring land under this
project are going on for construction of a water treatment plant.At least 75,000 subscribers will get benefit of
water supply with implementation of this project which is expected to be completed by 2017. After completion,
it will be possible to supply more five crore litres of water a day in Khulna city.
2Md. Rejaur Rahman, Urban Spatial Growth Analysis of Khulna City, Coordinator & Urban Planner
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), internet version.

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4.7 Prolems came out from field level discussions
Increased water level in the rive causes lot of problems. It causes flooding and water backflow in the residential
areas. In the rainy season, when incessant rain occurs, the run-off does not flow to the river which entails water
congestion. It is a big problem in some parts of the Khulna city. Duration of this water congestion remains 2-3
days. Different types of problems are emanating from water congestion which includes affect to work,
movement, sanitation, business and even schooling which get suspended. Also poor people take shelters at
different places and different types of water borne diseases occur in that monsoon time.
Water logging: Actions taken or adaptation made for water logging include transfer the valuable assets to other
areas (6.2%), followed by sent the family members out of disaster area (5.0%), raise homestead level /plinth
level (3.5%), or even wait for relief, etc. in Khulna. In terms of degree of adaptation Khulna and Bagerhat is the
same while Sathkhira is different. One reason for having this trend is that the intensity of economic activities in
Khulna and Bagerhat is also higher. In 2030 and 2050 water management crisis likely to be different with
climate change and adaptation also likely to be different with further investment during that period.
Heard about climate change: People in general heard about climate change where more heard about CC in
Bagerhat and Sathkhira. About the information that they got highest in per cent include hot temperature
(98.1%), very cold (99.5%), water logging (6.4%) in Sathkhira, change in rainfall (61.2%) in Khulna, frequent
cyclone (12.8%), and frequent flood (8.2%) in Bagerhat. All those indicate to the fact that the people in general
are aware of CC. But it does not mean people are equally prepared to address the challenges of CC, rather they
may feel more vulnerable and therefore, victim of the CC. In 2030 and 2050 it is expected that people will not
only become more aware of CC rather they will directly experience even more adversity of CC.
Crisis of sweet water due to climate change: Crisis of sweet water due to climate change is expected to be
highest (76.3%) in Khulna.The process of meeting those crisis or adaption measures suggested by the
respondents include installation of deep tube well (60.8%), manage by tap water supply (8.0%), drinking boil
water (6.1%), and collect rain water (3.8%). Out of all that highest percent of support to the DTW is mainly
because they are currently used to DTW only and they see that as safe mode. Most of them (87.7%) mentioned
that they could face it. Almost all (97.3%) mentioned that they need some assistance from the government,
NGO (37.5%), and local people (21.8%).
Analysis:
Water cycle:
Loss (Intangible)
Damage (Tangible)
Standing water increased heat conduction into the soil,
leading to higher soil temperature. The soil loses its
structure and texture.
Water quality damaged by salinity intrusion.
Health aspect:
Loss
Damage
Epidemic diseases losses lots of human life.
Several flood borne diseases like Dengue, Leptospirosis
(animal), etc breaks out severely.
Resource and quality Management:
Loss
Damage
 Losses of both renewable and nonrenewable
resources.
 Losses of human life causes human resource
life and quality of life.
 Damage of water quality, fish culture and
agriculture.
 Damage of capital like boat, farm land etc for
village economy.
Thousands of households get affected at different hotspots of Khulna city. Hotspots which get seriously affected
by water supply problems include Diyana School area under ward no. 4, Thana Doulatpur; Khalishpur, ward no.
08, Thana Khalishpur; water congestion affects Khulna Medical Collage, Ward: 17, Thana Sonadanga;
Sonadunga Bus Stand, Ward no 18, Thana Sonadanga; Duckbanglo, Ward: 21, Thana Sadar; Feerighat, Rupsha,
Ward no 21, Thana Sadar; flood affects Sangita More, Ward: 25, Thana Sadar; and Hotel Royel More, Ward:

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25, Thana Sadar; drainage problem affects Shib Bari More, Ward 25, Thana Sadar; and submerged with water
with heavy rainfall or drainage problem affects Forizi Para, Ward: 28, Thana Sadar. The inhabitants suffer in
rainy season and it becomes more severe when water congestion remains for 1-2 days to about 1 to 2 month.
Almost all people suffer in rainy season. City dwellers face serious problem during the disaster like diarrhoea,
cholera, dysentery, typhoid, etc. During the problem they do not move to other places as there is no cyclone
shelter.
5. CAUSES OF LACK OF SAFE DRINKING WATER IN KHULNA
5.1.1 Arsenic Contamination
Underground water of south-eastern region contains arsenic. A study carried out by a local NGO indicated that
79% of the tested tube-wells of the area contained arsenic beyond the acceptable limit
(http://pravdabangladesh.wordpress.com/access-to-safe-drinking-water/). Most of the shallow tube-wells in the
region draw either brackish water or arsenic- contaminated water.
5.1.2 Lack of aquifer
Ground water occurs in permeable geological formations known as aquifers. For extraction of groundwater
medium clean sand is suitable. This sand has considerable porosity and permeability and can store a huge
amount of water. Fine sand also can store a considerable amount of water. However, as the position of the area
is in the lower part of Ganges delta the sediments of the region have very low permeability and are not able to
store water. As a result, the region lacks aquifer that fresh groundwater can be extracted from.
5.1.3 Cultivation of brackish water shrimp
In the southwest region shrimp cultivation is underway in almost all the wetlands. In most of the cases, salt
water from the river is brought into the wetland for shrimp cultivation, which is increasing the salinity of the
adjacent fresh water ponds and shallow aquifer through seepage (WorldWide, DanChurchAid, MuslimAid,
Relief, Oxfam-GB, & Children-UK, 25-31 October 2009). Thus there is great scarcity of drinking water in areas
where shrimp is cultivated and that covers greater portion of southern districts of this region. This shortage of
drinking water affects women the most, as it is their responsibility to collect drinking and cooking water for the
household. They have to walk several kilometers to obtain drinking water, wasting much of their time that they
could have used in productive employment.
5.1.4 Reduction in upstream flow
In the past the southwest coastal region was rich in fresh water as the Ganges had flowed through it. However,
the scenario changed following two disastrous events: the change of the course of the river Ganges due to Ganga
water distribution Treaty, commonly known as Farakka Treaty due to which only 27500 thousand cusec water
becomes available for Bangladesh during the dry period with the remaining amount being diverted by India) and
the closing of the face of the origin of the river Matha Vanga ((http://pravdabangladesh.wordpress.com/access-
to-safe-drinking-water/)). This had a serious implication for safe drinking water available from ground water
sources. The reduction of upstream flow deteriorates the recharge rate of the ground water table, reduced fresh
water bodies and results in over extraction of groundwater for irrigation and use of water from fresh water
ponds.
5.1.5 Excessive use of underground water in an unplanned way
Since the 1980s vast land in the southwest coastal region, except the slight saline wetland, has been brought
under irrigation for cultivation of Boro rice through extraction of underground water in the dry season (Hafizi N,
2011). The lack of surface water for irrigation during dry season has compelled the farmers to exploit
underground water extensively resulting in a lowering of underground water table beyond the suction limits of
shallow tube-well, making millions of shallow tube-wells dysfunctional. This over-extraction of groundwater is
one of the possible reasons for the contamination of shallow aquifer by arsenic.
5.1.6 Natural disasters
Due to geographical disadvantage, this southeastern region of Bangladesh regularly experiences natural disasters
(e.g. water logging, cyclones, tidal surges, floods, river erosion, etc) which are responsible for the destruction of
drinking water sources. In addition, effects of climate change have caused hazards in this region to occur more
frequently than before and with greater intensity. During cyclone Sidr in late 2007 the majority of drinking
water sources became dysfunctional. Under the Sidr rehabilitation programs water supply and sanitation
facilities were restored by various government and non government agencies. However, the majority were again
damaged by the recent cyclone Aila (Dasgupta, et al., 2011).

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6. FUTURE PLAN FOR WATER RESOURCES ADAPTATION IN KHULNA ZONE
Human health: the health care system in Bangladesh falls under the control of the ministry of health and family
planning. The government is responsible for building health facilities in urban and rural areas. During dangerous
months like monsoon season and other natural disasters, the Bangladesh health system isn’t capable of
managing the number of victims.as the most of the doctors are willing to practice in the urban area.
The adaptation options have been categorized into two types:
 Core options: major measures that directly and largely solve the main issues, e.g. location of surface
water intake, impounding reservoir size, increase of drainage capacity, etc.
 Add-on options: useful additional measures but which by themselves will not be able to solve the main
issues fully, e.g. rainfall harvesting, demand oriented measures (such as progressive pricing).
Add-on Options
Several add-on options have also been identified and the proposed list is provided in Table 7.1. These add-on
adaptation options are unlikely to address the identified climate change impacts significantly when implemented
by themselves. A qualitative assessment of these add-on options will be provided by the socio-economic group,
after the stakeholders have provided feedback on the proposed list.
Table 7.1: Proposed Water Supply Add-on Adaptation Options
Add-on Option
Description
Remarks
Reduce
leakages
 Requires good operation and maintenance of
distribution system.
Water demand
Management
 Includes progressive water pricing
 Includes awareness raising campaigns
 There may be public resistance to water price
increases
Dual reticulation
(2 pipe system)
 Includes progressive water pricing
 Includes awareness raising campaigns
Actions taken for excessive salinity in water: Many measures are taken due to excessive salinity in water. The
trend is evident in case of khulna where people take measures widely. They used to carry water from other areas
(41.0%) followed by buy water from others (37.5%), reduce water use in washing (29.5%), etc. In the case of
Khulna city as there is wide use of deep tubwell, there is less use of saline water. In 2030 and 2050 more action
would require from water suppliers’ side.The criteria for water supply options will be slightly different. For
example, damage costs are not relevant for assessing the water supply options.
Economic Criteria: The economic criteria mainly involve the costs for each of the core adaptation options. The
usual costs (investment and O&M) will be estimated.
Social Criteria: Quantitative social criteria include the number of people affected (positively and negatively) by
the adaptation option, diarrhoea incidence rate, number of jobs created during construction phase of the option
and the water price (for supply options). Two qualitative criteria are included: public acceptance of the
adaptation option and an assessment of the overall health impact of the option.
Environmental Criteria: Two quantitative criteria include the number of species affected and the number of
sensitive sites affected by the adaptation option. It will not be possible to assess this in detail but an approximate
number based on secondary information sources will be used. Two qualitative criteria include the degree of
pollution expected during the construction and operation phases of the core adaptation options.
Other Criteria: A couple of additional criteria that will be used include: robustness and flexibility. Robustness
expresses how effective the strategy is also under different future developments – in other words: if the strategy
is not sensitive to changes in the scenario variables. For example, for urban water supply, the DTW option can
be considered a robust solution if very deep tubewells are used. This option would then not be sensitive to
changes in the scenario variables.

2nd International Conference on Civil Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICCESD-2014)
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7. RECOMMENDATIONS
The expected climate change impact on water supply options is increased river salinity. Therefore, the number
of days that river water is not suitable may increase compared to the base (no climate change) scenario. Thus
one core option is to increase the impounding reservoir size so that it can provide alternative supply for a longer
period. Another core option is to move the intake point further upstream where the salinity level in the climate
change scenario is similar to that in the base scenario at the original intake point. These two types of core
adaptation options have been selected based on practicality and cost-effectiveness. Another practical core option
included is mixing of groundwater with river water at Dakatia Beel reservoir site. This is due to the close
proximity of a well field to the proposed impounding reservoir.
During the problem their livelihood gets affected but they have little to do. To overcome it some measures may
be taken, such as, needs to improve the pure water supply and to set up safe sources even in the city areas. They
believe that all problems are curable, only needs genuine will to do it. To overcome this problem some other
measures may be taken like to ensure pure drinking water, to construct embankment, construct disaster
rehabilitation center and create awareness about climate change.If two pipe-lines are installed – one for drinking
water and other for domestic use- both are necessary. In dry season when water layer goes down and the tube-
well becomes useless then it may be necessary for drinking and domestic uses. If water is available all the time
then they will not mind to pay for it. Water means life and when they face water crisis sometimes they buy
bottled water for drinking. They don’t use any other means to get water.
8. CONCLUSIONS
Several households get affected for pure water sorce with the rise in water level in Bairab river.All people use
deep tubewell water. In deep tubewell water some iron was observed. They have to depend on nature as
government agencies do not do anything needful. Sometimes they go to the leader of the area who just gives
hope to them. They see health hazard caused by drainage problem such as diarrohea, dysentery, cholera, and
mosquito bites. They have to sit idle during that time as they have nothing to do. Due to that they reduce
consumption of food also.Some measures may be taken such as rehabilitation of drainage system, control over
mosquito, more tree plantation and construct embankment so that water cannot enter inside the city. Ward
councellors managed to open the sluice gates and they clear the drain near to their houses. People face various
problems during disasters period like roads get destroyed, houses get affected, and they face health hazard.
During the problem water enters into their houses and they temporarily migrate to other safe places. Rich people
suffer less where poor, women and child suffer more.So we need more concern for them all time.
9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of all team members of this study. Particularly, IWM is
appreciated with kind consent to the authors for this publication.
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