Abstract
Groundwater has been playing a central role in drinking and irrigation water supplies in Bangladesh for more than four decades. Today, nearly 97% of all drinking water supplies in Bangladesh come from groundwater via hand-operated tubewells that tap the shallow part (<150 m bgl) of the Bengal Aquifer System (BAS). Groundwater-fed irrigation, that currently meets 80% of irrigation water supplies, has been sustaining the dry-season high-yielding “Boro” rice cultivation since the 1970s that has made Bangladesh nearly self-sufficient in food production and led to major economic development. The shallow groundwater is, however, facing major challenges: (1) widespread, natural contamination of arsenic (As) and salinity in coastal areas and (2) rapid depletion of groundwater storage in intensely irrigated areas (e.g., Barind Tract) and major metropolitan cities like Dhaka City. Substantial declines in shallow groundwater levels are currently leading toward an “unsustainable” condition for low-cost pumping technologies (e.g., hand pumps, shallow irrigation wells) and threatening food security. In contrast, intensive dry-season abstraction has also led to increased groundwater recharge by enabling pumping-induced greater infiltrations of rain and surface water during the wet season in areas where surface geologies are permeable and potential recharge is high—realizing the idea of the Ganges Water Machine. Although the impacts of human development of groundwater resources are evident, it is unclear how changing climate will affect groundwater quality and quantity. In addition, recently, there is an increased focus on the development of deep groundwater in Bangladesh to mitigate As and salinity problems. However, little is known about recharge mechanisms and long-term security of the deep groundwater resource in Bangladesh.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ahmed N, Zahid A, Kabir MA, Islam MS, Haque MA (2012) Evolution of irrigation system and requirements of water saving technology in Bangladesh to mitigate climate change impact. In: Zahid A et al (eds) Impact of climate change on water resources and food security of Bangladesh. Alumni Association of German Universities in Bangladesh, Dhaka, pp 63–78
Alam E (2011) The updated groundwater zoning map of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Dhaka. http://www.badc.gov.bd/files/map/water_zoning_map_small.pdf. Access date 19 May 2012
Alder JR, Hostetler SW, Williams D (2013) An interactive web application for visualizing climate data. EOS Trans AGU 94:197–198
Argos M et al (2010) Arsenic exposure from drinking water, and all-cause and chronic-disease mortalities in Bangladesh (HEALS): a prospective cohort study. Lancet 376:252–258
Barlow PM (2003) Ground water in freshwater-saltwater environments of the Atlantic coast, U.S. Geological Survey, circular 1262. U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia
Basak JK, Titumir RAM, Dey NC (2013) Climate change in Bangladesh: a historical analysis of temperature and rainfall data. J Environ 2:41–46
BBS (2008) Census of agriculture 2008. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Ministry of Planning, GoB, Dhaka
BGS, DPHE (2001) Arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh. In: Kinniburgh DG, Smedley PL (eds) BGS technical report WC/00/19. British Geological Survey, Keyworth, p 267
BWDB (2013) Hydrogeological study and mathematical modelling to identify sites for installation of observation well nest. Final report “establishment of monitoring network and mathematical model study to assess salinity intrusion in groundwater in coastal area of Bangladesh due to climate change”. Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Institute of Water Modelling (IWM), Dhaka
Flanagan SV, Johnston RB, Zheng Y (2012) Arsenic in tube well water in Bangladesh: health and economic impacts and implications for arsenic mitigation. Bull World Health Organ 90:839–846
Gleeson T, Wada Y, Bierkens MFP, Beek LPHv (2012) Water balance of global aquifers revealed by groundwater footprint. Nature 488:197–200
Hostetler SW, Alder JR, Allan AM (2011) Dynamically downscaled climate simulations over North America: methods, evaluation and supporting documentation for users. Geol Surv, U.S, p 64
IPCC (2007) Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA
Kharin VV, Zwiers FW, Zhang X, Wehner M (2013) Changes in temperature and precipitation extremes in the CMIP5 ensemble. Clim Change. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0705-8
Meehl GA, Arblaster JM, Tebaldi C (2005) Understanding future patterns of increased precipitation intensity in climate model simulations. Geophys Res Lett 32:L18719
Michael HA, Voss CI (2008) Evaluation of the sustainability of deep groundwater as an arsenic-safe resource in the Bengal Basin. PNAS 105:8531–8536
Michael H, Voss C (2009) Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: regional modeling analysis. Hydrogeol J 17:1561–1577
Mukherjee A (2018) Groundwater of South Asia. Springer Nature, Singapore. ISBN: 978-981-10-3888-4
Nishat A, Bhuiyan MA, Saleh FM (2003) Assessment of the groundwater resources of Bangladesh. In: Rahman AA Ravenscroft P (eds) Groundwater resources and development in Bangladesh—background to the arsenic crisis, agricultural potential and the environment. Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, University Press Ltd., Dhaka, pp 87–114
Owor M, Taylor RG, Tindimugaya C, Mwesigwa D (2009) Rainfall intensity and groundwater recharge: empirical evidence from the Upper Nile Basin. Environ Res Lett, pp 1–6
Rahman MW, Parvin L (2009) Impact of irrigation on food security in Bangladesh for the past three decades. J Environ Prot 1:40–49
Rahman AA, Ravenscroft P (2003) Groundwater resources and development in Bangladesh. The University Press Limited, Dhaka, p 446
Ravenscroft P, McArthur JM, Hoque MA (2013) Stable groundwater quality in deep aquifers of Southern Bangladesh: the case against sustainable abstraction. Sci Total Environ 454–455:627–638
Revelle R, Lakshminarayana V (1975) The Ganges water machine. Science 188:611–616
Shahid S (2010) Rainfall variability and the trends of wet and dry periods in Bangladesh. Int J Climatol 30:2299–2313
Shamsudduha M (2013a) Groundwater-fed irrigation and drinking water supply in Bangladesh: challenges and opportunities. In: Zahid A et al (eds) Adaptation to the impact of climate change on socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh. Alumni Association of German Universities in Bangladesh, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Dhaka, pp 150–169
Shamsudduha M (2013b) Groundwater resilience to human development and climate change in South Asia, GWF discussion paper 1332. Global Water Forum, Canberra, Australia
Shamsudduha M, Chandler RE, Taylor RG, Ahmed KM (2009) Recent trends in groundwater levels in a highly seasonal hydrological system: the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 13:2373–2385
Shamsudduha M, Taylor RG, Ahmed KM, Zahid A (2011) The impact of intensive groundwater abstraction on recharge to a shallow regional aquifer system: evidence from Bangladesh. Hydrogeol J 19:901–916
Shamsudduha M, Taylor RG, Longuevergne L (2012) Monitoring groundwater storage changes in the highly seasonal humid tropics: validation of GRACE measurements in the Bengal Basin. Water Resour Res 48:W02508
Shiklomanov IA (1993) World fresh water resources. In: Gleick PH (ed) Water in crisis: a guide to the world’s fresh water resources. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 13–25
Taylor RG et al (2013a) Ground water and climate change. Nat Clim Change 3:322–329
Taylor RG, Todd MC, Kongola L, Maurice L, Nahozya E, Sanga H, MacDonald AM (2013b) Evidence of the dependence of groundwater resources on extreme rainfall in East Africa. Nat Clim Change 3:374–378
UCL (2013) The security of deep groundwater in southeast Bangladesh: recommendations for policy to safeguard against arsenic and salinity invasion. University College London, London, p 78
WARPO (2000) National water management plan (NWMP)—draft development strategy report, Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO). Ministry of Water Resources, GoB, Dhaka
Yu W, Voss CI, Michael HA, Ahmed KM, Feinson L, Khan MMR, Tuinhof A (2010) Implications of climate change on fresh groundwater resources in coastal aquifers in Bangladesh. Report No. 56556, The World Bank, South Asia Region, Dhaka, p 105
Zahid A, Ahmed SR (2006) Groundwater resources development in Bangladesh: contribution to irrigation for food security and constraints to sustainability. In: Sharma, BR et al (eds) Groundwater research and management: integrating science into management decisions. Groundwater governance in Asia series-1. International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka, pp 27–46
Zahid A, Hassan MQ, Islam K, Islam MS (2012) Strengthening of monitoring network to assess the impacts of climate change on groundwater resources of Bangladesh. In: Zahid A et al (eds) Impact of climate change on water resources and food security of Bangladesh. Alumni Association of German Universities in Bangladesh, Dhaka, pp 22–43
Acknowledgements
The author likes to acknowledge the support from the Bangladesh Water Development Board for providing weekly groundwater-level monitoring records. The author acknowledges the USGS’s Global Climate Change Viewer (http://regclim.coas.oregonstate.edu/visualization/) for providing the downscaled Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) temperature data for Bangladesh.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shamsudduha, M. (2018). Impacts of Human Development and Climate Change on Groundwater Resources in Bangladesh. In: Mukherjee, A. (eds) Groundwater of South Asia. Springer Hydrogeology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3889-1_31
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3889-1_31
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-3888-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-3889-1
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)