IN BANGLADESH, where rivers dominate the landscape and flood narratives shape public discourse, groundwater continues to flow silently beneath the surface — out of sight, out of mind. Yet this invisible resource is the true lifeline of our resilience to climate extremes, food insecurity, and water scarcity. It sustains more than 80 per cent of irrigation, provides 97 per cent of drinking water, and powers the garment and textile industries that form the backbone of our economy.
And yet, in Bangladesh’s Year 5 elementary science textbook, groundwater receives only a single sentence in a chapter on the water cycle (on page 20 in the 2021 English version). There is no mention of the arsenic crisis, no discussion of salinity contamination, and no recognition of the fact that millions rely on aquifers daily for life and livelihood. Meanwhile, river water pollution is given prominent coverage. This striking imbalance reflects a broader trend: groundwater remains marginalised in our education, institutions, and national policy frameworks. It is time to change that.
Ìý
Groundwater in policy: present, but barely prioritised
WHILE groundwater is mentioned in several policy documents — such as the Bangladesh Water Act 2013, the National Water Policy 1999, and the National Water Management Plan — it is often treated as a secondary component of water resource management. There is no standalone Groundwater Act or policy, despite groundwater’s dominant role in agriculture, public health, and industrial development.
More concerning is the absence of or little focus on groundwater in key climate and development frameworks. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and the National Adaptation Plan of Bangladesh (2023–2050) focus heavily on surface water availability and flood control. While these are important issues, they largely overlook the vulnerability and strategic value of groundwater in climate adaptation. There is no clear roadmap for groundwater management, recharge enhancement, or pollution mitigation — especially in rural areas where arsenic and salinity are urgent, everyday threats.
Ìý
Education and public awareness of groundwater
THIS policy gap is mirrored in the classroom. As mentioned earlier, groundwater receives a passing mention in primary education. Students are taught about evaporation, clouds, and rivers — but not about aquifers, recharge zones, or the challenges of declining water tables. There is no attempt to link science education with real-world issues like safe drinking water, irrigation dependency, or groundwater contamination.
The result is a public that does not see groundwater as part of the national water conversation and a generation of young people ill-equipped to protect or even understand the resource on which their futures depend.
We must embed groundwater literacy at all levels of education — from school science curricula to university engineering, agriculture, and environmental science programmes. Students should learn not only where their water comes from but also how it is managed, who uses it, and what risks it faces. Bangladesh cannot achieve water security without water awareness.
Ìý
Institutional biases and barriers
BANGLADESH’S institutional water landscape also reflects a troubling hierarchy of disciplines. Government agencies such as the Bangladesh Water Development Board are dominated by engineers, with limited representation and promotion opportunities for geologists and groundwater experts. In BWDB, for example, hydrogeologists can contribute to groundwater assessments but cannot rise to senior leadership positions unless they hold engineering degrees.
This disciplinary discrimination stifles innovation and prevents the integration of groundwater science into water governance. We urgently need institutional reform that values interdisciplinary collaboration — bringing together engineers, geologists, economists, and social scientists to manage water resources holistically.
Ìý
A call for groundwater reform
THE good news is that Bangladesh has the technical expertise and research capacity to turn things around. For example, the concept of the Bengal Water Machine — the natural recharge of aquifers through monsoonal flooding and managed dry-season abstraction — has been recognised globally. But to make use of such innovations, we need investment in monitoring, data systems, recognition in water policy, local-level planning, and public awareness.
We need a dedicated groundwater policy or act that outlines clear rights, responsibilities, and protections for users and institutions. Groundwater must also be formally integrated into national climate adaptation and disaster risk frameworks, reflecting its central role in resilience. In parallel, public agencies require reform to embrace and elevate multidisciplinary groundwater expertise, moving beyond engineering-dominated hierarchies. The establishment of a National Groundwater Research Institute is also long overdue — an institution that can lead scientific research, innovation, data monitoring, and policy support to guide sustainable groundwater management across the country. And perhaps most urgently, we must educate the next generation — from primary schools to universities — on the value and vulnerability of the water beneath their feet.
Bangladesh has achieved so much with groundwater — feeding its people, growing its industries, and building resilience against climate extremes. But continued success depends on recognising and managing this resource properly. Until we give groundwater the attention it deserves — in our schools, our policies, and our institutions — we risk losing the very foundation of our water security.
Let us bring groundwater out of the margins and into the mainstream.
Ìý
Mohammad Shamsudduha is professor of risk and disaster reduction, University College London, UK.
