Bangladesh’s coastal polders at a crossroads: Reform needed for water management

By Bushra Humaira Sadaf

In Bangladesh's coastal districts, millions of people depend on a network of polders, embankments, canals, and sluice gates to protect their homes, farms, and livelihoods. These structures, built in the 1960s, cover over 1.2 million hectares and are crucial for agriculture, fisheries, and rural life. Yet, many canals have silted up, sluice gates are damaged, and water levels fluctuate unpredictably, leaving farmers struggling to manage crops and water.

Climate-related risks further complicate the situation. Erratic rainfall, salinity intrusion, waterlogging, drought, and rising sea levels increasingly threaten crop production and rural livelihoods. Crops critical to local food security, like rice, watermelon, mustard, mung bean, and potato, are highly vulnerable to these changes.