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Water management is very significant because of changing the pattern of rainfall, seasonal variation of rainfall, sea level rising, water consumption pattern, acceleration of water quality and unavailability of fresh water in the coastal areas of Bangladesh due to adverse impacts of natural calamities. The aims were to investigate fresh water management with preparedness and adaptation strategies. Household data were collected from respective union parisad and total 338 households (out of 2789) were determined considering 95% significance level from three shoreline (Bagerhat), interim (Khulna) and inland (Satkhira) coastal regions of Bangladesh which distributed proportionately. Data were collected with self-administrated semi-structured questionnaire and three FGDs and analyzed with SPSS. Map was drawn by Arc GIS software. The study resulted that plastic bottle was dominantly used as conservation system for drinking (58.28%) and rainwater (44.08%). Besides, plastic drum, silver pots, earthen and ferro cement container were also used to conserve water. The mean weighted average index of preparedness of household and homestead agriculture is moderate (0.332) in inland and poor in shoreline (0.313) and interim (0.309) area. About 25.15% households satisfied with current water supply system. Individually, about 65.76% respondents adopted pond sand filter technology in the shoreline, followed by 16.90% (interim) and 37.35% (inland) area. Other adaptation strategies (rainwater harvesting, pond water conservation, potable jar water use, re-excavation of pond, boiling pond/canal water) were adopted by households and institutions with seasonal variations. Proper adaptation strategies should be taken with involving the local stakeholders for better performance in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of water research, development, and management in Bangladesh, with examples drawn from the past and present. A bibliometric analysis is adopted here to analyze the water-related publication data of Bangladesh. Water-quality-related research is the dominating research field in Bangladesh as compared to water-quantity (floods and droughts)-related ones. The most productive author was found to be Ahmed KM for water-related publication in Bangladesh. The arsenic contamination in Bangladesh has received the highest attention (13 out of the top 15 highly cited papers are related to arsenic contamination). Climate-change-related topics have been showing an increasing trend in research publications over the last 5 years. Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, prepared recently, is a visionary master plan that is expected to shape water management in Bangladesh in the coming decades to adapt to climate change. A set of recommendations is made here to achieve sustainable water management in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater resources are often the main source of drinking water for remote communities, but they are increasingly found to be unsuitable, and a source of ill health in many parts of the world. High annual rainfall in monsoonal regions makes rainwater harvesting an attractive alternative, but lack of infrastructure for capturing and storing sufficient quantities is often restrictive. This study focuses on the coastal region of Bangladesh where groundwater supplying tubewells are progressively found to contain arsenic and high salinity, and where cyclones are a common cause of damage to infrastructure. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of a village scale rainwater harvesting scheme as a solution to water security concerns. Analysis of various size rainwater storage systems (RSS) is conducted using daily rainfall data from Khulna Station in Bangladesh. It was found that a village scale RSS with 3 m deep and 100 m by 100 m surface area could supply 100 L/p/d for 85% of the year. The reliability could feasibly be increased to 100% with seasonal water restrictions. The village scale RSS is compared with an individual household level RSS. Advantages of the village scale RSS include the opportunity for improved management and water quality monitoring, and the potential for public-private partnerships. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other monsoonal delta regions to enhance water supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of safe water affects more than one-third of the current world population. Sustainable water supply management is vital for sustainable development in Bangladesh. Rainfall being abundant throughout the year, urban rainwater harvesting (RWH) has untapped potential in Bangladesh. The main purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth look into the practicality of using RWH as a dual water supply system alongside the existing municipal water supply to mitigate the non-potable water demand of urban Bangladesh, where Dhaka city was chosen to test out the hypothesis and calculate possible rainwater collection. Secondary data analysis was done for projections and calculations of available water savings, adjusted to monthly variations of rainfall. It was found 28% to 81% of the nonpotable water demand can be supplemented by RWH from April to October and a maximum of 103% can be fulfilled in the month of July for Dhaka city in 2030. For economic feasibility analysis, Net Present Value for two types of storage designs was calculated and the payback period was found to be between 2.5-3.6 years. This paper implies that RWH method is a viable option to meet non-potable water demand and demonstrates the water savings impact, design considerations, and economic analysis of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Natural disasters, financial constraints, and lack of technical expertise were the barriers to CBRWHS adoption. • Provision of technical instructions, data transparency, and motivation of individuals were identified as crucial factors for ameliorating CBRWHS adoption. • Institutional engagement and collaboration among organizations were perceived as important for RWHS adoption. • Local residents expressed concerns about poor quality of supplied water, frequent water scarcity, and high prices. • Regulations mandating RWHS installation in new and existing buildings were deemed significant for widespread adoption. Predominant water scarcity and environmental degradation in Bangladesh's coastal communities arise due to extreme meteorological conditions, unrestrained water usage, and extensive saline intrusion into both surface and groundwater. This study leverages both quantitative data from a household survey and qualitative data from a Participatory Rural Appraisal to explore the perspectives of 150 official experts and 240 coastal public respondents regarding the implementation of a "Community-Based Rainwater Harvesting System" (CBRWHS) as a sustainable water supply technology in six major coastal districts of Bangladesh. Though CBRWHS surpasses the benefits of an individual harvesting system (IHS) due to its collective approach, high storage capacity, social cohesiveness, environmental benefits, and potential for scalability, findings suggest that the experts identify financial insolvency, lack of technical skills, and insufficient education as principal barriers against adopting CBRWHS. They propose that providing technical instructions, education, and establishing a CBRWHS pilot could serve as effective incentives. While expressing a sufficient understanding of IHS, respondents are willing to adopt CBRWHS only if financial support is provided. Given the residents' experience with IHS, they are cognizant of the financial and technical challenges intrinsic to such systems. CBRWHS, unlike IHS, operates as a shared system with collective property rights and regulations. Majority of respondents perceive CBRWHS as a potential significant mitigation tool against the water shortage situation since the challenges associated with harvesting, maintaining, and using rainwater could be addressed collectively by the user community. Similar to the official experts, public respondents identify a lack of technical expertise, financial constraints, and regulations as the most significant obstacles to IHS adoption. The findings of this study hold substantial implications not only for the local region but also for similar coastal regions worldwide, suggesting a crucial need for the prioritization of community-based solutions to water scarcity within the wider global discourse on sustainable water management. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) has been a popular practice in coastal and arsenic affected rural areas of Bangladesh. However, the urban communities still showing reluctance in adopting a RWH system. The main reason for such reluctance is lack of confidence in potential water savings and payback period on initial investment. To tackle with severe water scarcity in major cities of Bangladesh, the government has made it mandatory to install a RWH system in all the proposed new buildings. This paper presents reliabilities and economic benefits of RWH systems for six major cities (Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, and Barishal) of the Bangladesh using a daily water balance model. Reliability parameters were calculated based on a scenario of six storied residential building with 50 inhabitants and with a roof area of 200 m 2 . The results indicate that Sylhet and Chittagong regions have the high potentials of rainwater harvesting, where a maximum reliability of 30–40% can be achieved. The results also reveal that approximately 500–800 m 3 of water can be saved each year if a rainwater harvesting system is used in combination with the town water supply. This study also proves that the current underground tank sizes in these cities are sufficient to prevent any spillage of water, which may significantly alleviate urban flooding/water logging. Payback period analysis indicate that the costs associated with the installation and maintenance of RWH system could be equalized within 2–6 years depending on the topographic and climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources management is an important part in farming system development. Agriculture in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh is predominantly rainfed with an average 2210 mm monsoonal rain, but rainfall during dry winter period (December-February) is inadequate for winter crop production. The natural soil water content (as low as 7 %) of hillslope and hilltop during the dry season is not suitable for shallow-rooted crop cultivation. A study was conducted to investigate the potential of monsoonal rainwater harvesting and its impact on local cropping system development. Irrigation facilities provided by the managed rainwater harvesting reservoir increased research site's cropping intensity from 155 to 300 %. Both gravity flow irrigation of valley land and low lift pumping to hillslope and hilltop from rainwater harvesting reservoir were much more economical compared to forced mode pumping of groundwater because of the installation and annual operating cost of groundwater pumping. To abstract 7548 m3 of water, equivalent to the storage capacity of the studied reservoirs, from aquifer required 2174 kWh energy. The improved water supply system enabled triple cropping system for valley land and permanent horticultural intervention at hilltop and hillslope. The perennial vegetation in hilltop and hillslope would also conserve soil moisture. Water productivity and benefit-cost ratio analysis show that vegetables and fruit production were more profitable than rice cultivation under irrigation with harvested rainwater. Moreover, the reservoir showed potentiality of integrated farming in such adverse area by facilitating fish production. The study provides water resource managers and government officials working with similar problems with valuable information for formulation of plan, policy, and strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the applicability, reliability and economic benefit of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to partially offset the daily water demand in the multistoried residential buildings in combination with the town water supply systems in Dhaka city. A comprehensive computer software was developed with a view to assessing the reliability and feasibility of the RWH systems in an urban setup. The software was developed using daily water balance modelling concept, which uses input data like daily rainfall, roof catchment area, runoff losses and tank volume. Three distinct climatic scenarios, i.e. wet, average and dry years were chosen by analysing historical 20-years daily rainfall data. Typical residential buildings of plot size 2.5–5.0 katha (168–335 m 2 ) were considered for the study. Results indicated that about 15–25% reliability can be achieved under the wet climatic condition and for catchment sizes varying from 140 m 2 to 200 m 2 , 250 kL to 550 kL of rainwater can be harvested each year. Several reliability curves have been presented for two roof catchment sizes (140 m 2 and 200 m 2 ) under three climatic scenarios and an insignificant increase in the reliability of the RWH system beyond the tank volume of 30 m 3 was observed. The current underground tank sizes of the residential buildings are sufficient to prevent the potential overflow during monsoon. A monetary saving of around 2000 BDT can be achieved for the catchment size of 140 m 2 with tank size of 40 m 3 under average year climate condition and the monetary saving increases with increase in catchment size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inability of public water facilities to function effectively in Dhaka City has made it impossible for most of the city dwellers to have access to safe water supply. The concept of rainwater harvesting is an economical small-scale technology, which has the potential to boost safe water supply with least disturbance to the environment. Dhaka being a mega city, only limited city dwellers has reasonable access to reliable water supply. This study explores to assess the potential for harvesting of rainwater as an alternative option in Dhaka City, which shows that rainwater can provide significant amount of supply against its demand. There is, therefore, sufficient rainwater to supplement the need of the city dwellers if the arrangement for rainwater harvesting activities could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

lthough Bangladesh receives plenty of rainwater during its monsoon, both rural and urban areas suffer from shortages of safe drinking water during dry season. Arsenic contamination of ground water affects many rural areas, whilst some urban areas including the capital, Dhaka City, lack sufficient potable ground water to meet the demand. To cope with the problem, this research explore: the feasibility of harvesting rainwater during monsoon as a source of quality safe drinking water in Dhaka City. A questionnaire survey was conducted about potable water shortage in four slums of Dhaka City. Rainwater was collected using a non-toxic waterproof cloth as a catchment during monsoon and stored in a ferro-cement storage tank with an initial flushing device attached at the inlet of the tank. Different important physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters were tested throughout the storage period of 4 months. The efficiency of the rainwater harvesting system increased from 51% to 80% before and after installing the system. The test results were compared with the Bangladesh water quality standards. The tests have revealed slightly higher pH value (8.1 to 8.3) and enormity of color beyond the acceptable range. Although the presence of total coliform was detected after three months, traditional filtering of that stored rainwater showed a promising solution to mitigate potable water shortages in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rooftop rainwater harvesting has received an increased attention as a potential alternative water supply source both in the coastal and arsenic affected rural areas in Bangladesh. Several programs in installing rainwater harvesting systems have been implemented to mitigate the drinking water problem in the coastal and arsenic affected areas in the country. This study was conducted with a view to assess sanitary integrity, microbial contamination and the associated health risk of the currently practiced rooftop rainwater harvesting mainly used for drinking water supply. Sanitary inspection of the rainwater harvesting systems and an extensive sampling of harvested rainwater from the storage reservoirs and laboratory analysis were conducted. The study findings reveal that harvested rainwater was found to microbiologically contaminated to some extend. The disease burden estimated using QHRA model showed a significant microbial health burden associated with drinking untreated rainwater and both viral and bacterial pathogens dominate the microbial disease burden. In context of arsenic mitigation, rainwater harvesting reduces the health risk from arsenic; however it may increase the microbial disease burden much higher than the level of arsenic health risk at 50 μg/L of Bangladesh standard. Microbial risk needs proper attention through the implementation of a water safety plan for safe and sustainable rainwater harvesting in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]