**4.4 Salinity intrusion affects the sources of drinking water in the coast**

It is important to note that salinity intrusion not only takes place at the groundwater level but also has been contaminating the surface water. Thus, **Figure 4** demonstrates the impacts of climate-induced disaster on the sources of drinking water. Wherever there is a cyclone like that of Aila that occurred in May 23, 2009 and Sidr in November 2007, a huge extent of the areas had been inundated extensively. The land was flooded, and saline water from the Bay of Bengal intruded the land and merged with the surface water. Nearly 35% of the respondents stated that due to the cyclone, the salinity of the water increases due to the intrusion of the bay water into the surface water, hence overlapping with drinking water. On the coastal areas, saline water also percolates down to the surface water and causes impacts on drinking capacity, and such statements have been stated by the majority of the respondent (as stated by 43% of the respondents). However, in such situations, ponds become a great resource for the coastal communities as a reservoir where freshwater could be collected and stored to be used for future instances. Waterlogging is a major issue when it rains heavily, and due to poor drainage system, the water gets collected on the land surface and that coincides with drinking water and causes climate hazard issues. This has been stated by 2% of the respondents in the study. Drought is a condition where the precipitation is below the average level which creates a crisis in drinking water. The sudden change of rainfall which is signified as erratic rainfall causes drinking water to be affected if it is massive or crisis if it is low. This has been stated by 29% of the respondents. The riverine flood causes intrusion of saline water into the river.

### **4.5 Impacts of climatic disasters on human life**

The field study studied human perception to understand the impacts of disasters on people's lives. Through the survey analysis, it was found that 93% of the people acknowledged to agree that disasters make a huge negative difference to their livelihood, stability, and functioning, which eventually disrupts their sense of stability and rootedness to their origin. Disasters, especially which are of large scales, eventually compel the native communities to adapt to a new condition of living. Others choose to migrate to a potentially "safer" zone, where there could be better economic opportunities for living (**Figure 5**).

#### **Figure 4.**

*Percentage of respondents of the impacts of climate induced disasters on the sources of drinking water.*

**95**

Bangladesh.

**Figure 5.**

*Coastal Community Adaptation to Climate Change-Induced Salinity Intrusion in Bangladesh*

**4.6 Climate change, coastal livelihoods, and adaptation strategy**

hazards that disrupt their livelihood.

*Do climate disasters have any impact on your life?*

A number of climate-induced hazards have a colossal impact on the livelihood of the coastal people. Survey findings show that cyclone has the largest impact on the livelihoods of the communities, followed by salinity intrusion caused by storm surge. Excessive rainfall also has an impact on the livelihood of the coastal community people. It is observed that very small percentage of respondents in the survey mentioned about riverine flood, river bank erosion, drought, and sea-level rise as

The coastal area of Bangladesh has its unique characteristics. Communities living in the coastal zones have acquired their own techniques to combat the various climate adversities that hit their localities after a numbered return period or even erratically. However, there are some key roles and responsibilities of the government to ensure that the communities are far aware of the actions needed to be taken during and prior to the hitting of natural disasters. Coastal zone communities are particularly protected by the Sundarbans. However, the biodiversity is still at risk because of being an ecological hotspot within the country. It is imperative that the balance between environmental conservation and development is well understood by the community people to ensure that their adaptation approaches are sustainable in the long run. For this, the responsible authorities should emphasize on fostering knowledge on climate change and adaptation within the coastal zones in

Coastal communities are at a threat to a number of natural disasters, making the roles of early warning extremely vital. The extent of effectiveness of the early warning systems should be revisited in the coastal zones so that there is sufficient lead time for people to prepare before flight and evacuation. The coastal zones of Bangladesh host a large number of people who contribute to the economic and agricultural sector of the country. These communities become stranded with the loss of lives of family members, livestock, and belonging. All of these could be avoided by a large scale if proper and timely early warnings are provided, which can

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80418*

*Coastal Community Adaptation to Climate Change-Induced Salinity Intrusion in Bangladesh DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80418*

**Figure 5.** *Do climate disasters have any impact on your life?*

*Agricultural Economics - Current Issues*

**4.4 Salinity intrusion affects the sources of drinking water in the coast**

It is important to note that salinity intrusion not only takes place at the groundwater level but also has been contaminating the surface water. Thus, **Figure 4** demonstrates the impacts of climate-induced disaster on the sources of drinking water. Wherever there is a cyclone like that of Aila that occurred in May 23, 2009 and Sidr in November 2007, a huge extent of the areas had been inundated extensively. The land was flooded, and saline water from the Bay of Bengal intruded the land and merged with the surface water. Nearly 35% of the respondents stated that due to the cyclone, the salinity of the water increases due to the intrusion of the bay water into the surface water, hence overlapping with drinking water. On the coastal areas, saline water also percolates down to the surface water and causes impacts on drinking capacity, and such statements have been stated by the majority of the respondent (as stated by 43% of the respondents). However, in such situations, ponds become a great resource for the coastal communities as a reservoir where freshwater could be collected and stored to be used for future instances. Waterlogging is a major issue when it rains heavily, and due to poor drainage system, the water gets collected on the land surface and that coincides with drinking water and causes climate hazard issues. This has been stated by 2% of the respondents in the study. Drought is a condition where the precipitation is below the average level which creates a crisis in drinking water. The sudden change of rainfall which is signified as erratic rainfall causes drinking water to be affected if it is massive or crisis if it is low. This has been stated by 29% of the respondents. The riverine flood causes intrusion of saline water into

The field study studied human perception to understand the impacts of disasters on people's lives. Through the survey analysis, it was found that 93% of the people acknowledged to agree that disasters make a huge negative difference to their livelihood, stability, and functioning, which eventually disrupts their sense of stability and rootedness to their origin. Disasters, especially which are of large scales, eventually compel the native communities to adapt to a new condition of living. Others choose to migrate to a potentially "safer" zone, where there could be better

*Percentage of respondents of the impacts of climate induced disasters on the sources of drinking water.*

**94**

**Figure 4.**

the river.

**4.5 Impacts of climatic disasters on human life**

economic opportunities for living (**Figure 5**).

#### **4.6 Climate change, coastal livelihoods, and adaptation strategy**

A number of climate-induced hazards have a colossal impact on the livelihood of the coastal people. Survey findings show that cyclone has the largest impact on the livelihoods of the communities, followed by salinity intrusion caused by storm surge. Excessive rainfall also has an impact on the livelihood of the coastal community people. It is observed that very small percentage of respondents in the survey mentioned about riverine flood, river bank erosion, drought, and sea-level rise as hazards that disrupt their livelihood.

The coastal area of Bangladesh has its unique characteristics. Communities living in the coastal zones have acquired their own techniques to combat the various climate adversities that hit their localities after a numbered return period or even erratically. However, there are some key roles and responsibilities of the government to ensure that the communities are far aware of the actions needed to be taken during and prior to the hitting of natural disasters. Coastal zone communities are particularly protected by the Sundarbans. However, the biodiversity is still at risk because of being an ecological hotspot within the country. It is imperative that the balance between environmental conservation and development is well understood by the community people to ensure that their adaptation approaches are sustainable in the long run. For this, the responsible authorities should emphasize on fostering knowledge on climate change and adaptation within the coastal zones in Bangladesh.

Coastal communities are at a threat to a number of natural disasters, making the roles of early warning extremely vital. The extent of effectiveness of the early warning systems should be revisited in the coastal zones so that there is sufficient lead time for people to prepare before flight and evacuation. The coastal zones of Bangladesh host a large number of people who contribute to the economic and agricultural sector of the country. These communities become stranded with the loss of lives of family members, livestock, and belonging. All of these could be avoided by a large scale if proper and timely early warnings are provided, which can be interpreted by the communities in the right way. Hence, training is essential for the people to communicate with the language of the early warning messages so that they can act in the right way. There should be adequate monitoring and evaluation on the condition of the shelters where people reside during the disaster period. This is important especially in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, where there is a need for sufficient lead time for people to move to a safer place prior to when disasters hit. On the other hand, livestock are important assets for the people who live in the coastal zones. The livestock should have veterinary services along with the doctors for the local people, both during and after disaster, as they are valuable assets for these marginalized people in the coastal areas.

The coastal zone communities have been largely benefitted from various trainings which has taken place in the past. This is particularly true for agriculture-based trainings. Audiovisuals can be used to capture the success stories and practices on agriculture, as well as challenges and failures, and should be channeled to the community through the local people. This increases the trust, motivation, and accountability among the community people to adopt the best practices and adapt with climate change.

Coastal livelihood in Bangladesh is largely dependent upon the access to utility services, livelihood, disaster preparedness and management, agriculture, inter alia, understanding the state of women's market access, and several other key factors. Women's involvement and access to the market are essential for the overall growth of the community to head toward resilience. In the coastal areas, salinity is one of the biggest concerns. To have proper access to market especially for women, the barriers to access to the market must be identified and addressed. After natural disasters take place in the coastal region, women have a big role to play to bring the family back to the state it was originally in. Identification of women and their barrier to access to the market may be done by the union with the help of the government or nongovernment organizations. Women's inclusion should be given greater regards including making key decisions and supply and demand of the essentials. Enhancing technical support and engaging local institutions into the grassroots-level advancements are crucial at the same time. In many communities, women are not allowed to make key decisions within the household. But women should be included in all forms of major decision-making processes which relate to disaster preparedness. Since the coastal zone is very susceptible to cyclones, the communities are constantly faced with instantaneous decision-making. The role of women is crucial in such decision-making processes. Hence, institutional approach to help include women in the key decision-making processes is essential, especially in a community like that of the coastal area of Bangladesh, where major decisions are taken by the male members of the family.

Coastal zone has been subjected to a number of big natural disasters in the past. The major cyclones that have hit the area are Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Cyclone Aila in 2009. This has led to a large number of people to evacuate and move to a safer place. Such migration pattern has taken place in a number of stages, where the families have first moved further inland and then later were forced to move toward the city, where there are more income-generating opportunities. The Government of Bangladesh has been very particular to assessing the trends of migration patterns in Bangladesh within the last few years. As such, the patterns of migration should be traced from the place where they are displaced due to various extreme events or climate change impacts to the migrated area. Migration stories collected can be used for future purposes, and experiences gathered through these stories are assets to be used for future help of the people.

Local adaptation plans in the coastal zones should be strengthened by manifolds because it will help to address the problems of the local communities through locally

**97**

*Coastal Community Adaptation to Climate Change-Induced Salinity Intrusion in Bangladesh*

applied solutions. The coastal zone in Bangladesh has its own distinctive characteristic and properties. Area-specific problems must be identified for solutions, which too should be specific to each locality and their local problems. Within the coastal communities, the adaptation techniques should be in line with the region-based problem, which must be identified through further studies. This in turn will help not just the development sector but also the government to identify key strategies and solutions appropriate to lessen and manage local-level complications. Hence, various sectorial impacts should be assessed with scrutiny and be speculated with

In the coastal zone of Bangladesh, gradual changes should be monitored and speculated with critical lens, of which cyclone is an example. Cyclone is a phenomenon which occurred quite a number of times in the coastal zone, and, hence, tracking its pathways and return periods is extremely important. Future studies should invest in monitoring how much has deviated in the timeliness of the events and its nature, i.e., gradual change between frequency, timeliness, and intensity of the extreme events, so that precautionary measures and subsequent activities can be executed duly with adequate knowledge. This will help to protect the mass number of people who are at risk of becoming homeless due to the onset of such

A compound impact of climate change and reduction of freshwater flow from the upstream is converting fresh water into saline zones. Climate change is enhancing the salinity problem in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Regional policies, agree-

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is responsible for maintaining and conducting the rehabilitation project of the polders. The BWDB has categorized 51 and 55 polders as most vulnerable and medium vulnerable, respectively. To address the vulnerability, it is important to repair the faulty infrastructure. Most of

ments and strategies regarding trans-boundary issues need to be ratified.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80418*

deeper interrogations and observation.

*Climate induced hazards that affect livelihoods of the study communities.*

large-scale disaster (**Figure 6**).

**5. Conclusion**

**Figure 6.**

*Coastal Community Adaptation to Climate Change-Induced Salinity Intrusion in Bangladesh DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80418*

#### **Figure 6.**

*Agricultural Economics - Current Issues*

these marginalized people in the coastal areas.

are taken by the male members of the family.

used for future help of the people.

with climate change.

be interpreted by the communities in the right way. Hence, training is essential for the people to communicate with the language of the early warning messages so that they can act in the right way. There should be adequate monitoring and evaluation on the condition of the shelters where people reside during the disaster period. This is important especially in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, where there is a need for sufficient lead time for people to move to a safer place prior to when disasters hit. On the other hand, livestock are important assets for the people who live in the coastal zones. The livestock should have veterinary services along with the doctors for the local people, both during and after disaster, as they are valuable assets for

The coastal zone communities have been largely benefitted from various trainings which has taken place in the past. This is particularly true for agriculture-based trainings. Audiovisuals can be used to capture the success stories and practices on agriculture, as well as challenges and failures, and should be channeled to the community through the local people. This increases the trust, motivation, and accountability among the community people to adopt the best practices and adapt

Coastal livelihood in Bangladesh is largely dependent upon the access to utility services, livelihood, disaster preparedness and management, agriculture, inter alia, understanding the state of women's market access, and several other key factors. Women's involvement and access to the market are essential for the overall growth of the community to head toward resilience. In the coastal areas, salinity is one of the biggest concerns. To have proper access to market especially for women, the barriers to access to the market must be identified and addressed. After natural disasters take place in the coastal region, women have a big role to play to bring the family back to the state it was originally in. Identification of women and their barrier to access to the market may be done by the union with the help of the government or nongovernment organizations. Women's inclusion should be given greater regards including making key decisions and supply and demand of the essentials. Enhancing technical support and engaging local institutions into the grassroots-level advancements are crucial at the same time. In many communities, women are not allowed to make key decisions within the household. But women should be included in all forms of major decision-making processes which relate to disaster preparedness. Since the coastal zone is very susceptible to cyclones, the communities are constantly faced with instantaneous decision-making. The role of women is crucial in such decision-making processes. Hence, institutional approach to help include women in the key decision-making processes is essential, especially in a community like that of the coastal area of Bangladesh, where major decisions

Coastal zone has been subjected to a number of big natural disasters in the past. The major cyclones that have hit the area are Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Cyclone Aila in 2009. This has led to a large number of people to evacuate and move to a safer place. Such migration pattern has taken place in a number of stages, where the families have first moved further inland and then later were forced to move toward the city, where there are more income-generating opportunities. The Government of Bangladesh has been very particular to assessing the trends of migration patterns in Bangladesh within the last few years. As such, the patterns of migration should be traced from the place where they are displaced due to various extreme events or climate change impacts to the migrated area. Migration stories collected can be used for future purposes, and experiences gathered through these stories are assets to be

Local adaptation plans in the coastal zones should be strengthened by manifolds because it will help to address the problems of the local communities through locally

**96**

*Climate induced hazards that affect livelihoods of the study communities.*

applied solutions. The coastal zone in Bangladesh has its own distinctive characteristic and properties. Area-specific problems must be identified for solutions, which too should be specific to each locality and their local problems. Within the coastal communities, the adaptation techniques should be in line with the region-based problem, which must be identified through further studies. This in turn will help not just the development sector but also the government to identify key strategies and solutions appropriate to lessen and manage local-level complications. Hence, various sectorial impacts should be assessed with scrutiny and be speculated with deeper interrogations and observation.

In the coastal zone of Bangladesh, gradual changes should be monitored and speculated with critical lens, of which cyclone is an example. Cyclone is a phenomenon which occurred quite a number of times in the coastal zone, and, hence, tracking its pathways and return periods is extremely important. Future studies should invest in monitoring how much has deviated in the timeliness of the events and its nature, i.e., gradual change between frequency, timeliness, and intensity of the extreme events, so that precautionary measures and subsequent activities can be executed duly with adequate knowledge. This will help to protect the mass number of people who are at risk of becoming homeless due to the onset of such large-scale disaster (**Figure 6**).

#### **5. Conclusion**

A compound impact of climate change and reduction of freshwater flow from the upstream is converting fresh water into saline zones. Climate change is enhancing the salinity problem in the coastal area of Bangladesh. Regional policies, agreements and strategies regarding trans-boundary issues need to be ratified.

The Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is responsible for maintaining and conducting the rehabilitation project of the polders. The BWDB has categorized 51 and 55 polders as most vulnerable and medium vulnerable, respectively. To address the vulnerability, it is important to repair the faulty infrastructure. Most of

the sluice gates are damaged or broken which allow intrusion of saline water. Not only that, the shrimp farmers cut the embankment to get saline water into their shrimp fields which make the embankment weak. The weak embankment is easily damaged by tidal pressure, particularly during full moon, and thus saline water enters the polders. Regular maintenance of the embankments, dams, sluice gates, and polders are important to maintain the water balance. For this a robust monitoring system can be developed to ensure the accountability of the concern institutes and officials.

Bangladesh has already developed several salinity-tolerant rice varieties. However, with the increasing level of salinity investments, it should be directed toward research and development of saline water submergence-tolerant crop varieties and introduce the varieties in the rural areas. Lastly, livelihood options of the community people have to be ensured to develop their capacity to over any challenge.

Lastly, climate change must not be muddled with the innate geographical and hydrological disadvantage of Bangladesh that leads to cyclones and other disasters. Bangladesh hosts a combination of a myriad number of rivers, and the country also receives 1.2 billion tons of silt. There are other problems including arsenic in the water that many people drink which is not problem driven due to climate change. Climate change-related problems need to be specifically identified for each sector or thematic areas for each of the agroecological zones or hazard prone eco-zones for developing local adaptation solutions to local problems.
