Water

Bangladesh’s southern coastal region, once nourished by its countless rivers and canals, is now gradually surrendering to saltwater intrusion. Surrounded by tidal rivers connected to the Bay of Bengal, this fragile land is increasingly becoming saline due to rising sea levels, cyclones, and tidal surges. The crisis has turned the very essence of life fresh water into a rare commodity. In most coastal villages, particularly in Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat, women bear the heaviest burden of this scarcity. Each day they walk 3 to 4 kilometers under the scorching sun to fetch a few pitchers of drinkable water from distant sources. The physical strain, combined with malnutrition and dehydration, deeply affects their health often leading to joint pain, uterine complications, and chronic fatigue. Yet, their daily struggle remains invisible to the larger world. During the dry season, when rivers and ponds dry up and the land cracks open, the desperation intensifies. Salinity turns every drop of water brackish, while rainwater ponds evaporate. In these moments, the women’s journeys for water become acts of resistance a quiet defiance against the slow violence of climate change. This photo story documents not only  the struggle for water but also the resilience of women who continue to hold their families and communities together despite the advancing threat of salinity and displacement. Each image stands as a testimony to the unspoken human cost of a changing climate where survival depends on every drop.