Published: 10:16 AM, 15 March 2026
Water Justice in A Warming World: Why Protecting Water Means Protecting Life
Luckymoni Debnath
Water is life-without it, life simply cannot exist as human body is made up of nearly 70 percent water. Yet for billions of people around the world, safe water is still uncertain or completely out of reach.
On World Water Day, this reality invites reflection. Water sustains life, but access to safe water remains deeply unequal. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2023), about 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed drinking water, while 3.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation. Climate change, pollution, rapid population growth, and weak water governance are placing increasing pressure on freshwater systems across the globe.
At the same time, water is often misused in everyday life, taps are left running while brushing teeth or washing dishes. Leaking pipelines waste thousands of liters daily. Vehicles are cleaned with excessive water, and inefficient irrigation systems drain valuable freshwater resources. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that agriculture alone accounts for nearly 70 percent of global freshwater withdrawals.
For communities without safe drinking water, however, every drop matters.
Across parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, families walk long distances to collect water from rivers, ponds, or shared wells. Often the water they bring home is contaminated. Drinking unsafe water can lead to diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, and arsenic poisoning, which continue to affect millions of people each year. According to the World Health Organization, unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene contribute to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths annually.
The burden of this crisis falls disproportionately on women. They collect it, store it, and carefully allocate it for cooking, drinking, and cleaning. For many women and girls, this means walking long distances every day to fetch water. UNICEF reports that in some communities women and girls spend up to four hours a day collecting water. These are hours that could otherwise be spent in school, earning an income, or participating in community life.
Water scarcity also affects women's health in ways that often remain invisible. When clean water is limited, maintaining proper hygiene becomes difficult. In many rural areas and urban informal settlements, sanitation facilities remain inadequate. For women and girls, this creates challenges in managing menstrual hygiene safely and increases the risk of infections and other health complications.
These challenges are particularly visible in Bangladesh, a country both blessed and burdened by water. Although it is crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, climate change and environmental pressures are altering water availability. In coastal districts such as Khulna and Satkhira, rising sea levels are pushing saltwater into freshwater sources, making drinking water scarce. Many families now depend on rainwater harvesting or must travel long distances to find safe water.
Meanwhile, in cities like Dhaka, rapid urbanization and excessive groundwater extraction are lowering water tables at alarming rates. At the same time, climate change is intensifying heatwaves, droughts, and erratic rainfall, increasing both water demand and water stress.
But water is not only a social and health issue-it is also an ecological one.Water lies at the heart of the Earth's natural systems. Rivers sustain wetlands and fisheries, groundwater supports agriculture, and forests help regulate rainfall patterns and watershed stability. When water systems are overused, polluted, or disrupted by climate change, the impacts spread far beyond human communities. Reduced river flows damage aquatic ecosystems, degraded wetlands weaken natural flood protection, and groundwater depletion threatens food production and biodiversity.
Imagine, even briefly, a world without water.
Fields would turn barren. Crops would fail. Forests would wither. Wildlife would disappear, and rivers would fall silent. Cities would become unlivable. Without water, the delicate balance linking ecosystems, climate, and human societies would collapse.
Recognizing this interconnected reality is essential for effective water governance.
In Bangladesh, policies such as the Bangladesh Water Act (2013) aim to promote equitable and sustainable water management. Yet implementation challenges remain. Responsibilities for water management are often spread across multiple institutions, making coordination difficult. Large infrastructure projects frequently receive priority, while community-based solutions-such as rainwater harvesting, decentralized treatment systems, and local water committees-receive less attention.
Equally important is the need to include women in water decision-making. Despite being the primary managers of household water, women remain underrepresented in water governance institutions. Their participation is essential not only for fairness but also for more effective and sustainable water management.
Addressing the water crisis requires a broader shift in how societies value and manage water.
Reducing water waste must begin with our own daily habits. Charity begins at home-so the responsibility starts with us. Simple actions matter: turning off the tap while brushing our teeth, fixing leaking pipes, using water carefully in cooking and cleaning, and avoiding unnecessary waste. When households value every drop, it creates a culture of responsibility that can ripple across communities.
At a broader level,Governments and institutions must also invest in safe drinking water, sanitation infrastructure, and equitable access for vulnerable communities who continue to struggle for something as basic as clean water. Ultimately, protecting water is a shared responsibility. It is more than a resource. It is the thread that connects human health, environmental balance, and social justice.
On this World Water Day, the urgent message is water must be valued, protected, and shared equitably. In a warming world, water justice is about safeguarding dignity, health, and the future of life itself.
Luckymoni Debnath is a student of
International Economic Relations,
Bangladesh Institute of Governance and
Management (BIGM) and Director, IT & Public Services Audit Directorate.
