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Importance of Monitoring by Application of GALDIT Method for the Sustainable Management of Salinity in the Coastal Aquifers of the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh

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Transforming Coastal Zone for Sustainable Food and Income Security

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Abstract

The coastal population of Bangladesh has already been suffering from the salinity encroachment both in groundwater and surface water regime. Reduced river discharge, coastal surges, shrimp farming and lowering of groundwater table due to dry season irrigation in a large part of the country accelerate the rate of saline water distribution. In addition, sea level rise, due to the impact of climate change, may contribute to salinity encroachment on coastal freshwater resources, particularly in the shallow alluvial aquifers. The obvious pressure, therefore, is transferred to deeper aquifer. For the last decades, this deep aquifers are exploited in the coastal parts and therefore facing vulnerability to multiple contamination. Problems are also due to unplanned development and management, wasteful use and inadequate governance actions. To sustain groundwater use in stressed aquifers, interventions need to be developed. In the present study, the GALDIT index methodology was applied to the coastal alluvial aquifers of southern Bengal Basin, Bangladesh to assess the magnitude and extent of vulnerability of these aquifers to seawater encroachment. The GALDIT method shows that the coastal aquifer is highly susceptible to seawater intrusion, which is coherent with the characteristics of the aquifer. This method would help the decision-makers towards sustainable development and management of the limited fresh water resources by identifying the vulnerable zones and protect the aquifers from further degradation in the coastal region of Bangladesh.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ground Water Hydrology, Bangladesh Water Development Board, Dhaka, 1215, Bangladesh

    Anwar Zahid

  2. Department of Disaster Science and Management, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    Anwar Zahid

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Disaster Management, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Gopalganj, 8100, Bangladesh

    M. Muhyminul Islam

  4. Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Dhaka, 1229, Bangladesh

    Ibrahim Rashiq Shams

Authors
  1. Anwar Zahid
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  2. M. Muhyminul Islam
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  3. Ibrahim Rashiq Shams
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Correspondence to Anwar Zahid .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Research Station, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Canning Town, West Bengal, India

    T.D. Lama

  2. Regional Research Station, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Canning Town, West Bengal, India

    Dhiman Burman

  3. Regional Research Station, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Canning Town, West Bengal, India

    Uttam Kumar Mandal

  4. Regional Research Station, ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Canning Town, West Bengal, India

    Sukanta Kumar Sarangi

  5. ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres (Formerly), Barrackpore, West Bengal, India

    H.S. Sen

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Zahid, A., Muhyminul Islam, M., Shams, I.R. (2022). Importance of Monitoring by Application of GALDIT Method for the Sustainable Management of Salinity in the Coastal Aquifers of the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh. In: Lama, T., Burman, D., Mandal, U.K., Sarangi, S.K., Sen, H. (eds) Transforming Coastal Zone for Sustainable Food and Income Security. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95618-9_53

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