Drinking water scarcity is a common experience for people living on Bangladesh’s southwest coast. The causes relate to the complex hydrological setting, with saline intrusion into both surface and groundwater. However, the severity of the water crisis varies from one community to another. The population here is diverse and includes socially disadvantaged people and ethnic minorities who deal with social inequity in every sphere of their lives – access to safe water is no exception.
Blog
Unravelling drought patterns using high-resolution drought datasets
Drought is a complex natural phenomenon with profound impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and society as a whole. Understanding drought patterns and trends is crucial for effective water resource management, agricultural planning, and disaster preparedness. In this blog, Dr Solomon Gebrechorkos and Prof. Simon Dadson explore the journey of developing and utilizing high-resolution drought datasets to unlock insights into drought dynamics at local and regional scales.
Water scarcity forcing rural Kenyan women to devise coping mechanisms
In the past few years, most women and youths in Kilifi County have struggled with access to water for diverse activities due to climate change, limited networks, and income. Thus, access to and use of water is often negotiated and shaped by intrahousehold dynamics and government institutions. While women tasked to provide water for their families create networks to sustain access to water and diversify water sources. men move out for better jobs, and youths take up commercial water provision roles.
Pouring hope or pouring doubt – Navigating the aftermath of disasters in coastal Bangladesh
Cyclones and storm surges regularly damage infrastructure in southwest Bangladesh. Afsana Afrin Esha describes how her current research focus is informed by REACH fieldwork to understand how different drinking water technologies are affected.
Invisibility of the most vulnerable people in water and WASH? – Advancing the Agenda to Leave No One Behind
Extremely vulnerable people are invisible to the broader community and policymakers. They rely on water care from a few, though their basic water needs are not met. This is a challenge that needs to be addressed for truly universal WASH policy design and implementation. Dr Marina Korsenevica shares reflections from the REACH conference panel session on care and dependencies…
Reliable water and hygiene services for Health Care Facilities in Kitui County, Kenya
Cliff Nyaga, University of Oxford In rural Kenya, Health Care Facilities (HCFs), specifically dispensaries and clinics, provide lifesaving care for millions of people living in remote villages. These areas are characterised by low population densities and high poverty...
2 billion people without safe drinking water: What’s behind the number and how do we get to universal access?
Professor Katrina Charles, REACH Co-Director, University of Oxford With all the information coming out of the UN-Water Conference this week, and the commitments to the Water Action agenda, there are a lot of statistics flying around about the status of access to...
The UN Water Conference is a rare window of opportunity
The UN will host the second global water conference in New York on 22-24 March, over forty years after the first gathering in Argentina in 1977. It begs the questions: why so long? And, what can this event hope to deliver?
SafePani: A new model to secure safe drinking water for school children in coastal Bangladesh
Dr Sonia Ferdous Hoque, University of Oxford One out of seven schools in Bangladesh’s Khulna district does not have a safe source of drinking water on premises. For those that have a waterpoint - usually a tubewell or rainwater harvesting system - the safety and...
Exit Strategy – sustaining and scaling water security impacts for the poor beyond 2024
After nine years of collective research on water security by over 50 global partners the REACH programme is due to close in 2024. While we are on track to meet the target of providing 10 million poor people with improved water security, this is a fragile outcome. We...
