Equity and Justice Issues for Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Sector

Abstract

Equity and justice concerns are the emerging challenges for adaptation as the new and agreed research agenda for sustainable solution to the range of issues surrounding global climate change in general and water resource management in particular. This chapter focuses on implications of policy, programming and budgeting for climate change adaptation measures in water sector and subsequent potential impact on social, economic and environmental and risk management parameters and differential access to its benefit to different social strata. It is deemed necessary to determine the direction, trend and magnitude of the cost of adaptation and the differential ability to undertake adaptive initiative. An analysis is made on lessons learned about the similarities of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in water sector related to social, economic and environmental aspects involved with reference to Bangladesh. Research on the political economy of climate change impact on water sector being a cross-cutting issue demonstrate that there will always be winners and losers from the extreme events. A number of evidences shared in this chapter with reference to water and flood management in Bangladesh, which may help in judgement for decision making on adaptation with equity and justice considerations. Climate change is posing serious threat to poor’s access to common pool resources as there is no legal instrument to ensure their right on either water resource or even dead channel. Recent studies indicate that Gangetri glacier in the Himalaya that feeds the Ganges and Jamuna rivers system will be exhausted by 2035, which will affect the quality and productivity of the water resources in the sub-continent. The wetlands will be fragmented and disconnected from the main river system. Since coastal Bangladesh is geomorphologically at the formative stage, therefore, structural solutions, such as the building of embankments along the rivers and polders in the coastal regions in Bangladesh, needs careful examination and multi-stakeholder consensus on environmental, hydrologic such as tidal river dynamics, economic, social and ecological consequences. Approach to water resource management issues in Bangladesh in the face of emerging climate change scenario is a complex challenge but would be effective and sustainable provided watershed-management principle in bigger geographic scale is to be followed to address the issues of ecosystem based adaptation with a network of participatory interactive approach of management. Water resource development with equity and justice framework could be mainstreamed through good governance in agriculture, forestry, river management and urbanization, flood forecasting, water retention and regional cooperation.