Farmers Struggling for Livelihood: Water Woes in Coastal Region of Bangladesh

by Mou Rani Sarker, Bushra Humaira Sadaf and Ahmad Salahuddin

With around 300 households, Hironpur (pseudonym) in Munshigonj Union in Shyamnagar Upazila, Satkhira is located in southwest Bangladesh. The village is facing significant agricultural challenges. The villagers’ livelihood depends on agricultural production, including vegetable gardening, shrimp farming, cattle raising, and poultry farming.

The community heavily relies on canals, known as khals, for irrigation, drainage, and fisheries. However, a severe water crisis during dry season for agricultural use has turned the once-thriving lands into barren fields during the dry seasons, forcing villagers to seek work elsewhere.