The water crisis is a harsh reality across the coastal districts of Bangladesh. Acute shortages of safe
drinking water, fragile embankments, rising salinity, and frequent climate shocks, compounded by weak
water governance systems, continue to intensify suffering.
In response, young leaders in coastal communities, with support from ActionAid Bangladesh, have
been stepping forward for over a decade to defend water as a fundamental right. Drawing on lived
experience, they are organising movements, leading advocacy and campaigns, and holding institutions
such as local government bodies, the Department of Public Health Engineering, and the Bangladesh
Water Development Board to account. Through collective action, they are challenging violations of
water rights and pushing for sustainable, people-centred solutions.
