WATER SECURITY CONUNDRUM IN BANGLADESH

This article analyzes the profound and multi-dimensional "water security conundrum" facing Bangladesh. It argues that the country's water security is threatened by a complex interplay of factors, including its unique hydro-geography as a lower riparian state, the impacts of climate change, and challenges of domestic water governance. The study examines the major external challenges, particularly the issue of securing a fair share of the water from its 54 common rivers with India. The research also delves into the internal challenges, such as the severe problem of arsenic contamination of groundwater, the growing pollution of surface water bodies, and the conflicting demands for water from agriculture, industry, and urban populations. The paper posits that ensuring water security is one of the most critical and complex national security challenges for Bangladesh. The analysis concludes that addressing this conundrum requires a holistic and integrated approach that combines proactive water diplomacy with a radical improvement in domestic water resource management.

Water is both the lifeblood and the greatest vulnerability of Bangladesh. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the "water security conundrum" that defines the nation's existence. The study is structured around the key dimensions of this conundrum. The first is the transboundary dimension. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of Bangladesh's position as the lower riparian of the massive Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, which makes its water supply critically dependent on the actions of its upstream neighbors. It examines the long-standing disputes with India and the urgent need for comprehensive, basin-wide water-sharing agreements. The second dimension is the challenge of water quality. The paper details the catastrophic public health crisis caused by the widespread arsenic contamination of shallow groundwater, the primary source of drinking water for much of the rural population. It also discusses the severe and growing pollution of the country's rivers from industrial and municipal waste. The third dimension is the impact of climate change. The study explores how sea-level rise is leading to increased coastal salinity, and how more erratic rainfall patterns are exacerbating both floods and droughts. The findings reveal a country facing a water crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity. The paper concludes that a "business-as-usual" approach is not an option, and that ensuring long-term water security will require a massive, sustained, and integrated national effort, combining diplomatic, technological, and governance solutions.