Water as Leverage- Setting the scene for a call for action

Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia
Khulna
A Profitable Balance
between Fresh and Salt
[5]
[4]
Khulna lies at the gate to the
Sundarbans: an immense marine
nature area, without doubt the
ecological highlight of the Bengal
Delta. Unique for its size – with
an area of about 10,000 square
kilometers – it is the world’s largest
network of salt water streams,
mud shores and coastal mangrove
forests, housing a rich variety of
wildlife, including the Bengal tiger,
crocodiles and snakes.[1] Although
Khulna is situated on the northern
edge of the Sundarbans, it struggles
to attract tourists, which seem more
tempted to visit the sandy beaches
of Chittagong.
The Bengal Delta is also one of the
most fertile places in the world, and
is therefore called the Green Delta.
Khulna’s soil is so fertile that the
saying goes: ‘if you drop a seed,
you’ll find a tree tomorrow’.[2]
Agriculture is thus one of Khulna’s
main economic activities; from landbased
agriculture and aquafarming
to small-scale urban farming in the
fertile areas along the city ponds.
But the condition of the delta also
brings with it a range of challenges.
Although mangroves are the most
effective ecosystem to protect
coastal areas from flooding and to
keep sedimentation in place, sea
level rise and cyclonic storms still
endanger the marine area of the
delta.[3] More inland, the deltaic
flood plane is prone to droughts,
reducing the inflow of fresh water.
[4] Although inhabiting a waterrich
delta, only 64% of Khulna’s
population has access to fresh water,
with many of them relying on public
tube pumps.[5]
Because of this lack of fresh water
agricultural activities shifted, more
and more, towards the expansion of
shrimp farms that produce mainly
for the international market. Next
to coastal flooding, leaks in the
salt-water tanks of these shrimp
farms cause salinization of what
was once fertile arable land.[6]
Because there are no means to drain
this land and irrigate it with fresh
water, other agricultural sectors
are in decline; forcing farmers to
flee from the rural areas to the city.
[7] Besides climate migration, this
reduced food production also leads
to chronic malnourishment of certain
households in the more urban areas
of Khulna.[8]
Altogether, keeping the balance
between fresh and salt water is
crucial to Khulna. On the one
hand, how could Khulna profit from
its unique location close to the
Sundarbans and be developed as a
gateway for ecotourism?[9] On the
other hand, how could it stabilize its
fresh water supply in order to save
space for soil-bound agriculture
in addition to aquafarming? How
can this balance be maintained in a
sustainable and profitable way?[10]
[2]
[3]
[9]
[8]
[6]
[7]
[10]
108 Call for Action
PART 1 / From Global Water Issues to a Call for Action
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109