Editorial
Beware of salinity invasions
A doable strategy is round the corner
WITHOUT being panicky, we must treat the news of deepening salinity intrusions from the sea as yet another wakeup call for an effective response mechanism to tackle a growing geological challenge. To the extent it's related to global warming it should be dealt with as part of climatic change mitigation and adaptation processes. On the other hand, we have to also address the man-made factors contributing to salinity ingression.
This write-up is confined to addressing man-made factors behind heightening levels of salinity intrusion from the south reaching up to Magura, not too far from the midriff of Bangladesh.
One-sided groundwater extraction to the exclusion of any substantial utilisation of surface water has created a double jeopardy: Declining rate of Dhaka's groundwater every year at three to six meters due to pumping for piped water threatens land subsidence and causes salinity inroads. The twin-problem is no longer confined to Dhaka, rather it is present in varying degrees all over the country.
Indiscriminate extraction of groundwater will have to be done away with as recharging the aquifer with fresh water could improve the situation up to an extent. More to the point, we have to switch on to a greater utilisation of surface water by implementing plants that largely remain on the drawing boards. Simultaneously, we need to harvest rain waters during the monsoon and conserve it for use during dry season.
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