The impact of climate change on water resources and associated health risks in Bangladesh: A review

Abstract

Bangladesh is increasingly experiencing different challenges from scarce drinking water sources and health risks, explicitly or implicitly attributed to climate change. This systematic bibliographic review manually screened 47 articles under four categories, including Water and health; Climate and water; Climate and health; and Climate, water, and health, from 2010 to 2022. This research is critical for ensuring the availability of safe drinkable water and public health adaptation to climate change in Bangladesh. The findings revealed that cholera, infant diarrhea, pneumonia, dengue, and malaria are prevalent in the vulnerable groups. The present number and distribution of regional healthcare centers demonstrates potable water procedures and medical centers are insufficient relative to demands. Overall, this study revealed several techniques that help guarantee safe potable water, including holding rainwater, pond sand filters, and drinkable water supply. A knowledge-based approach was used to propound an adaptation framework for tackling the impact of changing climate, especially on safe water availability and public health, and also identified six research gaps. This research serves as a roadmap for future scholars, academicians, practitioners, and policymakers and indicates the need for more progress in the database on national climate change research.