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Peoples’ Perception of the Water Salinity Impacts on Human Health: A Case Study in South-Eastern Coastal Region of Bangladesh

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Abstract

The salinity intrusion into fresh groundwater is a serious problem in coastal regions of Bangladesh. It has both direct and indirect effects on human well-being. This study was carried out in two coastal villages of south-eastern part of Bangladesh with the aim of examining peoples’ perception of the water salinity impacts on human health. Data were collected from randomly selected 153 semistructured household interviews, 10 key-informant interviews and two group discussions. The water salinity was measured for shallow tube-well (STW) and pond in three distinct seasons. The mean water salinity of STW varied from 5.11 to 6.48 dS/m, while pond water salinity level was in the range of 0.11–3.12 dS/m. The salinity level varied depending on depth of tube-well and distance from the sea. Due to the use of saline water, villagers suffered from several diseases including skin diseases, hair loss, diarrhea, gastric and high blood pressure. In one village high salinity restricted villagers to practice agriculture on limited agricultural land. Increasing salinity due to adverse climatic conditions in coastal areas would pose a serious threat on household water supplies. Suggestions are made to improve the management of fresh surface water and groundwater resources in salt-affected areas and to explore rainwater harvesting as a sustainable solution.

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Fig. 1

Source Modified from SRDI (1998)

Fig. 2

Source Modified from CCC ward map and LGED upazila map

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    Md. Akib Jabed & Alak Paul

  2. University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia

    Tapan Kumar Nath

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  1. Md. Akib Jabed
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  2. Alak Paul
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  3. Tapan Kumar Nath
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Correspondence to Tapan Kumar Nath.

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Akib Jabed, M., Paul, A. & Nath, T.K. Peoples’ Perception of the Water Salinity Impacts on Human Health: A Case Study in South-Eastern Coastal Region of Bangladesh. Expo Health 12, 41–50 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-018-0283-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12403-018-0283-0

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