Turning Air Into Water CCDB's Innovative Solution To Bangladesh's Drinking Water Crisis

Bangladesh, a country known for its abundant water bodies, faces an ironic and severe crisis: the lack of pure drinking water. This crisis is particularly acute in coastal regions, drought-affected areas, and hilly terrains, where obtaining clean water is a daily struggle for millions.

- Md. Ashrafuzzaman Khan

To address this pressing issue, a national NGO CCDB, dedicated to accelerating innovation, knowledge dissemination, and capacity development related to climate change, has introduced a groundbreaking solution.

The Drinking Water Crisis in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, 3.3 million people lack access to clean water, and over 1,000 children under five die annually from diarrheal diseases caused by poor water quality. The latest Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) Report of 2022 indicates that only 59.11% of Bangladesh's population has access to safely managed water, with just 14.94% under piped water supply – 2.9% of which are in the poorest quintile.

Water contamination is a significant concern, with 86% of the poorest households showing E. coli contamination and 16.7% of the population consuming arsenic-contaminated water. In the coastal areas, salinity intrusion has made much of the available water undrinkable, putting over 20 million people at risk. Climate change is expected to worsen this issue by increasing river salinity significantly by 2050, leading to acute water shortages in the southwest coastal regions.