Water water everywhere in Bangladesh - but not here in Rajshahi

Two hundred rural women from north-western Bangladesh, carrying empty clay water pots to symbolize a water crisis in their region, took to the streets on 21 November, joined by thousands of other protestors.




The women, many from indigenous communities or adivashi, gathered from several villages across Rajshahi to highlight the problems they are facing.
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While much of Bangladesh, a low-lying deltaic plain, suffers from floods and river erosion, Rajshahi, which is located in the Barind Tract of the country, has experienced serious water shortages which has been exacerbated by climate change.

At a meeting attended by more than two thousand people, speakers complained that the drought-prone area had left communities without enough water for drinking, irrigation and agriculture.

Farmer, Habibul Rahman, said that the winter season approached later and temperatures were hotter, while a lack of rainfall meant farmers had poor crop yields, especially winter crops, including potato. But the greatest burden, he said, fell on women villagers who were forced to travel further from their homes to collect water.

The mayor of Rajshahi City Corp., AHM Khairuzzaman, told the crowd that richer nations were largely responsible for most of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, but poor countries, like Bangladesh suffered the most. He paid tribute to the large crowds who had turned out for the rally, but said the Bangladesh government also eded to lobby other governments around the world to take steps to reduce global warming and help countries like Bangladesh undertake adaptation measures to reduce their vulnerability to the negative impacts of climate change.

In the last few years Bangladesh, already prone to cyclones and other weather-disasters, has seen an increase in the intensity and frequency of climate related problems. Changing conditions have meant weather-related disasters have become less predictable and more difficult to manage. A lack of information and resources makes it harder for the poorest communities to prepare or respond to increased hazards.

The rally is part of a series taking place across Bangladesh, organized by Oxfam and its key partner, the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL), ahead of the United Nations conference on climate change in Poznan, Poland, next month.

CSRL is urging the government to re-excavate ponds and water channels to try to alleviate the water problem in the region.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• environment
• g8
• climate
• change
• Bangladesh