Topic: Ensuring Access to Potable Water
Country: Bangladesh
Delegate Name: Nikita Korde
School: Forest Hills Northern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Bangladesh position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Most of our planet is covered in water, but is all of it actually potable? Obviously no. In fact small countries like Bangladesh don't have constant running water or water hygienic enough to drink.
Bangladesh water crisis affects both rural and urban areas, and is the matter of both water scarcity and water quality. Latrine usage is very poor, averaging only 16% in rural areas.
Diarrheal Diseases constitute a major health problem. Over 100,000 thousand children die of diarrhea every year. Millions of people are affected causing biological disorder, malnourishment, poor mental condition etc.
In the late 1970’s approximately four million wells were drilled to replace the traditional contaminated surface water sources. The projects made significant headway and mortality due to water related diseases declined. However, in 1933, high arsenic concentrations were discovered in the groundwater of several wells in Bangladesh. Long-term intake of high concentrations of arsenic from drinking water gives rise to a number of health problems, particularly skin disorders. Internal cancers have also been linked with arsenic in drinking water.
In Bangladesh many wells containing arsenic were closed. The wells that are painted red, signify that arsenic concentration is above the national standard. When the wells are closed, community members are to seek drinking water from other sources which may not always be hygienic. This leads to more water related diseases which results in higher death rate.
The urban population continues to increase and so do the people in the slums. These quarter communities are the most densely populated areas in the country. These people make $1 or $2 dollars per day. Acute poverty, overcrowding, pollution, unhealthy disposal of waste, all play major roles in water and sanitation crisis in urban areas of Bangladesh.
