On Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh (Part 6, Goal 6)

On Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh (Part 6, Goal 6)

Md. Amzad Hossain

Perth, Western Australia

Email: A.Hossain@curtin.edu.au

Prelude

Water is life. Currently the lives on land and under water are equally being increasingly threatened due to gradual deterioration of surface and ground waters. The deterioration is largely human generated. This discourse examines the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” in the context of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has water-centric sayings such as (i) Bangladesh ekti nodi matrik desh (Bangladesh is a riverine flood prone country); (ii)Tele jole maasse vathe Bangalee (Oil, water, fish and rice constitute the heritage of the Bangldeshis; and (iii) Lalon more jol pipasai kaasse thakte nadi Meghna (Lalon suffers from thirst of water while the river Meghna is at hand).

Despite of an utter paradox and factual incompatibility of (i) and (ii) with that of (iii), the contemporary people of Bangladesh find Lalon’s grief “Lalon suffers from thirst of water while the river Meghna is at hand” as more an apprehensive fact of life than the other two. It is simply because thousands of water bodies of Bangladesh are continuously being silted and transformed to high land. Some of the dying water bodies are being used for cropping; some for road construction and housing. The major amounts are being used for commercial development by the powerful people and their cohorts. Re-excavation of the silted non-flowing small rivers and Beels as sustainable water bodies is hardly prominent in the national development performance.

However, one major reason for such degradation of the inland water bodies is also linked to the development agenda (i.e. non-essential industrialization) that serves western interest in promoting consumerism. The growth of consumerism appears rampant in Bangladesh because of some policymakers’ pro-colonial and westernized mindset. With this backdrop the current development takes place by way of indiscriminate application of the Green Revolution technologies, unplanned construction of roads and highways, and structural infrastructure to facilitate unsustainable industrialization. Though, all these happen under the banner of economic growth; in reality they do claim irrecoverable or irreversible social and ecological costs.

This discourse attempts to discuss SDG 6 in view of Bangladesh’s water scenario.

The Primary Research Questions with Remarks:

Is Goal 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” achievable in Bangladesh?

Yes.

The sustainability of Bangladesh is by and large supported by waters. The country’s entire livelihood depends on the availability of water from a multitude of sources, such as flowing and non-flowing river systems, natural and human made lakes and canals, ponds, underground water and rainfall. The availability of water varies from time to time depending on seasonal climatic condition. Not dissimilar to Australia where there are great contrasts between floods and draught (Heathcote and Mabbutt, 1988), Bangladesh is subject to water abundance and shortage although this happens under very different geo-environmental and socio-political conditions (Hossain and Marinova, 2012).

What is the common requirement for developing countries in the context of sustainable water management including Bangladesh?

Environmentally-sound water management is an essential requirement for the future of developing countries, and will become an even more important consideration than it has been in the past. According to Thanh and Biswas, “(w)ithout environmentally-sound water management, it will not be possible for developing countries to achieve self-sufficiency in food and energy” (1990: 56) and “(e)fficient use of water is simply not possible, unless it is managed in an environmentally-sound manner (1990: 57).

The above assertions have been present for a long time in the grassroots water management policy in Bangladesh. In fact, the Bangladeshi culture has an indicator for sustainable water management: Amader soto nodi chole banke banke; boishakh mashe tar hatu jol thake (Our small rivers run zigzag. Knee level water exists there in the month of Boishakh i.e. the summer.

This indicator is widely present in the media, school textbooks, Baul songs, folk stories and proverbs.

What happened to Bangladesh in the last few decades in terms of water resource depletion?

The last few decades have seen many challenges and threats of water resources being depleted. Bangladesh is also a country which has experienced in the past the devastating effects of the Green Revolution whose high yield variety crops and associated technologies had pushed water resources to the point of unsustainability (Jones and Hollier, 1997). The grassroots cultural policies in Bangladesh reflect the generated frustration amongst the rural mass against the global politics and business of water and water resources. To retaliate, many people including some spiritual leaders are thinking of launching a nationwide movement to boycott emissions generating goods and services beyond their basic needs.

What emphasis is required for sustainable water management?

Bangladesh is unique with its cultural past and present. Water management practices and policies in this country would not be possible to resemble those of Australia, America or Europe. However, Bangladesh's future shape needs to resemble the riverine characteristics of the past to keep the country’s sustainability. What is also clear is that this future water management will build upon the tradition and wisdom of its rural people informed by their gurus and their own experiences and spiritual values.

As the geo-environmental and geo-political characteristics determine the varying degrees of seasonal availability of water in the country, so the people seek to sustain their survival through both physical and spiritual management tools. Synergies generated from Bangladesh’s cultural characteristics inspire people towards self-reliance in terms of agricultural and fishing activities. As both agriculture and fishing are water contingent and the availability of water is largely unpredictable, rural people from pluralistic socio-religious backgrounds have constituted values-driven grassroots cultural policy and practices, which encourage sustainable water management in terms of consumption, conservation and drainage in their code of life.

The unpredictability of water availability on one hand, and the necessity for water to be included in every step of people’s living and livelihood activities, on the other, synergistically have influenced Bangladeshi people to develop an integrated grassroots policy framework for sustainable water management practices. The tool “Spirituality” for reverence to water can be the basis for sound water management as traditionally prevalent in rural Bangladesh’s self-reliant lifestyle. Western culture and development treat water as an economic resource and commodity. Irreverence or ignorance of water related spirituality by modern societies is the fundamental reason for scarcity, pollution, over-extraction, mal-utilisation and aggressive politics of water. Values-driven water management is emphasised as the sustainability breakthrough and an essential requirement for achieving sustainable water management (Hossain and Marinova, 2012)

How is water seen culturally in Bangladesh?

Water is seen as a primary building block of life with the power to also destroy it, as a cleanser of impurities and pollutants, and a career of land nutrients, plays a central role in the religious beliefs and practices in pluralistic Bangladesh.  Animists accord water as supernatural life force; Christians use Holy water at blessings, dedications, exorcisms and burials; Hinduism relates water to both physical cleanliness and spiritual well-being. In Islam water is important for cleansing and purifying, and Muslims must be ritually pure before approaching God in prayer. This comes from the Quran (5: 7/8): "O you who believe, when you prepare for prayer, wash your faces and your hand to the elbows; rub your head and your feet to the ankles" and is further elaborated in the Tradition.

Muslims constitute about 85% of the total population of Bangladesh, others being Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and Tribal animists. Over 80% of people who live in the rural areas believe in water mysticism, that is the inexplicable mysteries of water in respect to life support. They show more commonalities than expected in a pluralistic cultural environment. People venerate water diversely on diverse religious grounds. Tilling, sowing, harvesting, fishing, cooking, eating, dressing – all are connected with religious practices using water. This is so because the Bengali Islam has not imitated a particular culture, but has blended aspects of Indian and other indigenous cultures with Islamic elements. Within the day-to-day Bengali habits and customs, such as cooking styles, ingredients, dress and ornaments, water related value judgements and vocabulary are common across pluralistic Bangladesh (Rozario, 1992).

How are people guided towards sustainable water management in Bangladesh?

Rural Bangladesh has gurus from all faiths. Though the gurus’ religious faiths and spiritual proclivities are diversely manifested in the socio-economic sphere, they are unified when it comes to environmental and natural resource management. This unity sustains social harmony, brings economy and religious practice together and renders environmental sustainability an everyday outcome. The gurus religiously believe that progress towards sustainable development and sustainability are vested in the appropriate management of the country's water resources. Rural Bangladesh requires water supplies to be available in the vicinity of village housing for fish, drinking, household activities, navigation and agricultural purposes. Put simply, this means growing more food or gaining more benefits with less water (Molden, 2007) and the country’s traditional self-reliant style of living is therefore a viable means to water sustainability. Only development activities that conform to these precept and practices in terms of resource-use can form a paradigm for sustainable water management, especially for Third World countries such as Bangladesh.

Is the target area 6.1 - by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all” relevant to Bangladesh?

Largely Not. The fishers and the boatmen who are millions in number in Bangladesh traditionally drink natural surface water from their work place: rivers, lakes etc. They are habituated with drinking natural surface water generation after generation. They can hardly access to water that is considered safe as tube well or bottled water is considered.

Target area 6.2 - by 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

Is this target area achievable?

It is achievable for the people living in the homestead. On the other hand, the target area is unachievable for the people living on the boat, floating people such the gypsy community, the slum dwellers, the refugees, climate victims,  and the like. Their number in Bangladesh is considerable and rising. However, Bangladesh has already made a laudable progress for the people living in households. Action research model projects can be the best place to promote achieving this target area in full for the settled people.

6.3 by 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally.

This target area is the most crucial of all other target areas under the Goal 6. It is crucial not only for Bangladesh, but for all countries on the globe. The objectives of this target area are to “improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and increasing recycling and safe reuse by x% globally”.  It appears impossible to achieve the target globally because of the western anti-sustainability attitude, including that of contemporary China. They pollute waters far more than Bangladesh and the pollution is on the increase.

A recent study reveals: “Marine environments are also under siege from land-based sources of marine pollution, believed to account for nearly 80 per

cent of the total pollution of the oceans. The major land-based pollutants are synthetic organic compounds, excess sedimentation from mining, deforestation, or agriculture, biological contaminants in sewage; and excessive nutrients from fertilizers and sewage. Large quantities of plastic and other debris can be found in the most remote parts of the world’s oceans. Plastic persists almost indefinitely in the environment and has a significant impact on marine and coastal biodiversity. A study published in 2016 reported that, if present rates continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish (by weight” (Chasek et al., 2017:9).

,

It appears that Bangladeshi people are not far from other countries in this respect. The rivers and water bodies in and around Dhaka city and other district level cities are being dumped and polluted with hazardous pollutants including plastic and polythene. In many cases like Burigonga, Turag  river  of Dhaka city the situation is irreversible. River and wetland encroachment is also irresistible in Bangladesh, even by the government. However, replicable action research model projects can be a way out to address the present situation. The model projects can also be the place for addressing the target areas 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 excluding the transboundary contexts. A Model project includes provisions for several ponds and open and closed water storage for regulated bathing facilities for men and women separately, ablution and other cleansing facilities and drinking water. This provision is traditional, highly water efficient and sustainable.

What is the water management related sustainability significance of a Model Project such as the Regional Sustainable Development Demo and Training Project, Lakshmipur union, Atgharia Upzila, Pabna?

As indicated earlier the site of a replicable model project is selected where land, water, biodiversity and social norms have considerably degraded. It appears that the land and social norms have been degraded due to silting of the Beel Chatra mainly because of emergence of the Green Revolution since the 1970s. The degradation has seriously impacted on land, water and biodiversity, but also upon the peoples’ social and spiritual well-being of the Union. The Re-excavation of Beel Chatra will alone restore water resources including fish and other marine biodiversity, facilitate surface water irrigation and subsequently raise ground water table, and consequently eliminate poverty related social degradation.  

6.4 by 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

In order to achieve this target area the model demo project as above is aimed at removing water scarcity by increasing water use efficiency in the following ways:

-           A new settlement will take place in multi-storied sustainable housing, which will be built to accommodate the local fisher and non-farm community who will have their bath in selected area for male and female.

-           The peasant community will use surface water for irrigation instead of current use of ground water.

6.5 by 2030 implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

How to implement integrated water resources management?

“Integrated water resources management is a task of coordinated stakeholders to develop and manage water, land and associated resources for optimizing social, economic and environmental sustainability outcomes in an equitable manner ensuring equal access for marginalised groups to an adequate quantity and quality of water necessary to sustain human well-being including equitable access to, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner …”[i].

Action research and demo model project is required for the participation of all classes of people.

What about Trans-boundary aspect of the target area?

Bangladesh has huge trans-boundary water problems, which are politically sensitive. Sustainable solution is highly unlikely because the UN seems to play ineffective roles in this regard.

The complexity of international water sharing issues with India, in particular in the case of Bangladesh, require an approach that reflects unity in order to integrate the human dimensions into water resource management and policy development.[ii] Such unity does exist in Bangladesh and it depicts people’s spiritual commonality to water as water is considered as a priceless living resource without which people’s self-reliance is unthinkable.

Furthermore, Bangladesh’s trans-boundary water issues with India are also a policy concern. Since its independence the country has been watching with grave concern. Gradual reduction of the dry season flows of trans-boundary rivers such as the Ganges, Teesta and Brahmaputra emerge due to upstream diversions across the borders. A diversion of up to 60% of the Ganges water over 25 year has caused significant reduction in surface water resources, increased dependence on ground water and destruction of the breeding and raising grounds for 109 species of Gangetic fishes and other aquatic species and amphibians (Ahmed, n.d.). According to Ahmed (n.d.), the desertification in the Barind terrace is the direct outcome of India’s Unitarian withdrawal during of water the dry seasons.

To stop this Unitarian withdrawal of water from Bangladesh’s international rivers such as the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, a socio-political grassroots people movement has been ongoing since 1975. It aims at supporting the country’s government in international negotiations with India but it also confirms the need for water management to find cross-generational and cross-regional solutions (Figueres et al., 2003). Any sustainable solutions to the existing and future issues are embedded in the social and lifestyle management movements incorporating adaptation-driven mitigation exercises.

6.6 by 2020 protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

This is largely achievable showcasing the action research model project in different topographies.

6.a by 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water and sanitation related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

Bangladesh government is credibly doing all these in cooperation with foreign collaboration.

6.b support and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving water and sanitation management

Adequate training programs are required at all levels. Rural Bangladesh’s livelihood depends on water and the existing grassroots policy framework for sustainable water management (conservation and consumption) reflects a cultural unity within a country, which is culturally very diverse. Extra-abundance or shortage of water supply is generally viewed as natural; however, prolonged or human caused water deficiency is treated as the retaliation of nature against anthropogenic transgression, which is often attributed to an act of climate change. The mostly uneducated rural people of multi-cultural Bangladesh live a simple lifestyle promoted by the country’s inspiring Baul tradition, including water management. The Bauls religiously promote water conservation and are devoted to enhancing public understanding of the role of water.

What are the current water policy challenges?

According to Figueres et al. (2003), water management is becoming a complex process at all levels – global, regional and local. This complexity is reinforced by the effects of climate change as represented by untimely and difficult to predict water abundance (floods and severe rains) as well as seasonal scarcities of water for basic needs, such as drinking, household use, fishing, agricultural and navigation purposes.

Due to its geographical location, Bangladesh is highly exposed to these climate change related calamities. However in this country there are also some very specific and hard to resolve additional difficulties. The presence of arsenic in drinking water beyond the acceptable level discovered in 1995, has threatened the safe drinking water supply from tube wells (Rahman and Rvenscroft, 2003). An estimated 27% to 46% of the 6 to 11 million tube wells that currently exist in Bangladesh are contaminated at varying degrees with arsenic (Milton et al., 2006). There is a lot of concern at the grassroots level about “the biggest catastrophe in the world” (Khan et al., 2007) and many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are involved in data and evidence collection as well as policy development (Safiuddin and Karim, 2001) and providing support to the effected communities. BRAC (Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee), the world’s largest development NGO, is also heavily involved in fighting the arsenic contamination at the grassroots through increasing community awareness and information dissemination (Hadi, 2003).

The pressure of a western type of development is also felt in Bangladesh. For example, some fifty years ago people of Bangladesh ate less meat, and required less water to produce their food; the pressure they inflicted on the environment was also much lower (Molden, 2007). Similar changes can be seen in other more recent consumption patterns and they ultimately put pressures on the natural environment and its fresh water resources.

According to Thanh and Biswas (1990), one of the keys to successful environmentally sound water management is the pursuit of higher level of water spirituality. This has been demonstrated over and over again in rural Bangladesh. It seems that unless water is perceived as a resource of profound importance and gift from nature, other management policies and practices are likely to reinforce the human created conflict between development and the environment. They are also likely to be unsustainable.

What are the characteristics of traditional water management education and practices?

According to Gooch and Stalnacke (2006:17), wise water management should maximise “the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems”. This is extremely important in the western world where economic priorities can often take precedent to social and environmental considerations. Traditional water management however have been more holistic and based on water as a common resource that should be shared and cherished. The water management practices at the grassroots level in Bangladesh are largely regulated by its geo-environmental as well as cultural characteristics. They are aimed at generating maximum and sustainable water productivity to cover all aspects of the areas comprising integrated water management, namely population, agriculture, fishing, economy, politics, administration and environment (Gooch and Stalnacke, 2006). This management also includes community intervention in terms of financial and institutional arrangement with the legal frame of the national water management policy. Indeed, the river systems of Bangladesh have shaped much of the history, economy, literature and rich culture of the people (Ahmed, n.d.). Being a country of self-reliance (that is, independent survival), sustainable food production is crucial and it should be free of boom-and-bust cycles and political crises. Self-reliance is at the core of practicing sustainable development but it also links to self-respect, pride, stability, competence, independence and innovation (Kumar, 1986; Marinova et al., 2006). All these translate into smart water management and the country’s political manifestos are customarily formulated to maintain self-reliance, which has been the tradition of rural Bengalis. It is interesting to explore how this tradition has been maintained.

There are three major components in preserving traditional knowledge about water management: firstly, the importance of proverbs; second the role of gurus and thirdly, the integration in everyday life of spiritual and religious practices. They are briefly explained below.

Concluding remarks:

More than 80 countries on the globe nowadays suffer from serious water stress during certain times of the year due to a range of reasons, including the impact of climate change. Bangladesh is a wetland extensive country. Its wetlands function as the kidneys of the landscape stabilising water supplies and cleansing pollution. They also protect the shorelines, recharge the groundwater aquifers and provide unique habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna. The biodiversity supported by wetlands is essential for the natural food chain. Thus, sustainable management of water resources is of utmost importance not only from a sustainability point of view, but also from  cultural and spiritual perspectives.

Bangladeshi people worry about the regular floods and acute water shortage caused by India’s irrational water sharing of the Ganges and Bhrahmaputra rivers. Siltation and lack of re-excavation is another prominent factor hindering sustainable water resource management in Bangladesh.

 To be continued

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