Maria Akter, Field Executive, Tetra
The term “coastal region” often brings to mind images of endless seas, strong storms, and the gentle sound of flowing rivers. But my visits to Bangladesh’s southern coastal areas—Koyra, Dacope, Shyamnagar, and Mongla—revealed a much harsh reality. Beneath the beauty lies a story of resilience and struggle. People are fighting to survive amidst saline water intrusion and environmental challenges.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) are basic human rights recognized worldwide. However, for the communities in the coastal belt of Bangladesh, these essentials are far from guaranteed. Climate change, saline water intrusion, and environmental damage have made access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and hygienic living conditions incredibly difficult. For women, the challenges are even greater. These crises worsen inequalities, exposing women to serious health risks and making their daily lives harder.
During my visits at villages of the coastal belt, I discovered a bitter truth: almost every tube well in the coastal region produces saline water. Even wells drilled as deep as 1,200 feet often fail to provide safe water. Most people rely on shallow tube wells (30–60 feet deep) for everyday tasks like cooking, cleaning, and washing. In Kainmari, Mongla, I tested the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) level of a household tube well. It was alarmingly high—around 4,000 mg/L. For comparison, safe drinking water should have a TDS level between 50–150 mg/L, and levels above 250–300 mg/L are barely tolerable. Yet, the residents had no choice. An elderly woman told me, “We’ve grown used to it. Even when we get sick, we don’t know why.”
Prolonged exposure to saline water causes severe health issues like high blood pressure, chronic skin problems, gastric troubles, and allergies and women are more vulnerable to the health hazards of this climate induced salinity. Over time, the harsh water leaves skin rough, discolored, and forever dry. While interacting with the community it was very commonly heard that women face more challenges due to the impacts like skin discoloration for using saline water. Since physical beauty is a vital factor in rural society while marrying off their girls, most families don’t want to wait till their girls become adult. They have this fear that the consequences of skin darkening might worsen if they wait till their girls become adult and might not be able to get them married at that stage. As a result, many people in the coastal belt marry off their young teenagers and often there is a rapid rise in the child marriage of young girls.
Most women use reusable cloth during menstruation, washing them in saline water. This often causes itching, infections, and serious gynecological problems. Many women reported experiencing early menopause (at 35–38 years) and infertility. Moreover, stories of miscarriages are very common in the households of the coastal belt. A survey was conducted as a part of Tetra’s research project regarding health impacts on women due to consuming and using saline water where 242 women of different age group, socio-economic and marital condition of Khulna region of the coastal belt were interviewed. From the survey results, it was reported that among the interviewed women who drink and use saline water on a regular basis, 62.2% go through irregular periods, 68.5% experience heavy bleeding during period, 66.7% have extreme cramps during menstruation and 24.5% take any pills to stop/control period. In Dacope and Shyamnagar, I met women who had undergone hysterectomies due to severe health issues caused by poor hygiene and saline water exposure. Sadly, many of them accepted this suffering as normal because they didn’t know of safer alternatives.
Furthermore, inadequate sanitation facilities disproportionately affect women’s health in these areas. Most bathrooms are kacha or semi-constructed, and they are often not cleaned properly. This unhygienic environment exposes women to a higher risk of infections, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other reproductive health issues. Furthermore, the lack of proper sanitation discourages women from maintaining menstrual hygiene, exacerbating health complications. Many women also neglect to wash their hands with soap after using the bathroom or during other critical times, further increasing their vulnerability to diseases. These challenges highlight the urgent need for improved sanitation and hygiene awareness tailored to women’s needs.From my observations, addressing the challenges of saline water and poor hygiene in coastal Bangladesh requires sustainable, community-driven solutions with a strong focus on women’s health and hygiene. These solutions should prioritize long-term impact and empowerment by:
The challenges faced by women in the coastal regions of Bangladesh due to saline water intrusion and poor hygiene demand urgent attention and action. The intersection of climate change, inadequate sanitation, and health disparities has created a crisis that disproportionately impacts women, putting their health, dignity, and future at risk. By integrating targeted healthcare programs, education campaigns, and community empowerment initiatives, we can create pathways toward better health and improved quality of life. Women must be at the center of these solutions—not just as beneficiaries but as active participants and leaders. Through these efforts, we can not only alleviate the immediate impacts of water and hygiene challenges but also build a foundation for resilience and equity in the communities of coastal Bangladesh.
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