Water insecurity hotspots: Delineating the spatial variation of risk to drinking water services and investment priorities in coastal Bangladesh

Keywords: Water insecurity, Spatial analysis, Investment planning, Drinking water, Bangladesh
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Universal access to safely managed drinking water is a global development challenge, particularly in water-stressed underserved communities like the coastal region of Bangladesh. To improve water security, investment decisions are often hindered by gaps in knowledge of detailed hydrogeology, coverage by existing water supply systems, and the location of the most disadvantaged group who need public aid first. This study mapped the water insecurity at the union-level (lowest administrative unit) by integrating 21 indicators under five water security criteria i.e., water availability, quality, accessibility, affordability, and reliability. Using an extensive collection of reliable secondary data, the methodology includes — spatial analysis of hydrogeology and water quality data to assess water availability and quality; delineating households and regional drinking water infrastructures to measure accessibility; documenting functionality and climate-resiliency of water services to determine reliability; principal component analysis to assess multi-dimensional poverty form nine sociodemographic variables to assume affordability. The indicators and criteria are weighted with expert consultation and integrated using the weighted-sum method. The results revealed that accessibility of water is relatively better but higher poverty rate along with high spatial variability of groundwater quality and hydrogeologic heterogeneity contribute to high levels of water insecurity. Water insecurity is higher in the southernmost unions of each district and southwest districts are more water insecure than southcentral districts in the region. The mapping may not be perfect considering data scarcity; however, this map and method serve as a foundation for future investment and research in achieving water security for coastal Bangladesh and beyond.