Dhakra, Bangladesh: Lack of Freshwater

"Parul Akter travelled across Bangladesh to escape the flood waters, but they seem to have followed her. The shack she shares with her husband and four children in Dhaka, the nation’s capital, sits on the edge of the sprawling Korail slum – next to a lake. When it rains, dank water sloshes into their shelter. Only the bed, raised up on bricks, stays dry. 'This room is all we have, so we need to stay here no matter what happens,' said Akter.

"Seven years ago, a monsoon flood left nothing standing in their village, located in Bhola on the country’s south-west coast. 'We had no option but to climb up the banks with our belongings immediately,' said Akter. 'Within a week, we moved to Dhaka to start a new life.'”

In Bangladesh, climate change is making life more difficult. Many people migrate to Dhakra, the Bangladeshi capital, because of environmental disasters in nearby areas, such as rising sea levels and floods. Unfortunately, Dhakra is prone to flooding too. Flooding can destroy shelter and make drinking water undrinkable.

One major issue is lack of freshwater due to rising seas spilling into nearby rivers. The lack of freshwater is a serious issue, and can prevent people from being able to live productive and happy lives.

"Ten years back, the area was freshwater - now it is not," said A S Moniruzzaman Khan, the director of the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research at BRAC University. He said that it is not uncommon for people to have to walk five hours each day to obtain clean water, which significantly hurt income opportunities for these people and their families.

For more information, please visit https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/dec/01/dhaka-city-climate-refugees-reality.