The Indian Sundarbans, located in the southern part of West Bengal, is one of the most ecologically fragile and climate-vulnerable regions in the world. Home to approximately 4.5 million people, the region is increasingly being impacted by climate-induced threats such as sea-level rise, intense cyclones, tidal surges and salinity intrusion.
These environmental stressors are severely undermining basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) systems, jeopardizing public health & livelihoods and disrupting basic human needs. This fragile deltaic region now faces a WASH crisis compounded by both environmental and infrastructural vulnerabilities.
Freshwater Scarcity and Salinity Intrusion
One of the most urgent WASH-related concerns in the Sundarbans is the scarcity of freshwater. Climate change-induced sea-level rise, currently estimated at 8 mm per year (significantly higher than the national average), is pushing saltwater further inland. This leads to salinity intrusion into surface water bodies and groundwater, making traditional sources of drinking water—such as ponds, shallow tube-wells, and rivers—unsafe and unusable
Approximately 67% of households in the Indian Sundarbans depend on rainwater as their primary drinking water source due to this salinization. However, erratic rainfall patterns and longer dry spells are threatening the reliability of even these systems. The rising salinity levels are also linked to increased incidences of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, and skin infections, particularly among children and women.
Disrupted Sanitation Infrastructure and Flooding
Frequent and intense cyclones—such as Aila (2009), Amphan (2020), and Yaas (2021)—have wreaked havoc on sanitation infrastructure. Cyclone Aila alone inundated over 105,000 hectares of land and displaced thousands. Toilets and latrines constructed at ground level are often submerged or damaged by tidal surges, contaminating drinking water sources and spreading diseases. In many villages, open defecation resurged after Amphan due to the destruction of sanitation facilities.
Poor drainage systems, overflowing septic tanks, and non-elevated infrastructure further compound the problem during monsoons. With embankments breached and agricultural lands submerged, there’s a direct link between sanitation failures and food insecurity in the region.
Rising Health Burdens from Contaminated Water
The health consequences of poor WASH conditions in climate-vulnerable area like the Sundarbans are alarming. As salinity increases, the risk of gastrointestinal diseases and cholera rises significantly. In several studies, up to 89.5% of households reported health issues linked to water contamination.
Moreover, many shallow aquifers in the region show elevated levels of arsenic, a legacy issue worsened by increasing reliance on groundwater as surface water becomes saline. With most health centers located far from remote islands, timely medical care remains out of reach, especially during floods and cyclones.
Inadequate and Fragile WASH Infrastructure
Most of the WASH infrastructure in Sundarbans was not built with climate resilience in mind. Toilets, water tanks, and handpumps are often damaged during floods and cyclones and are not replaced quickly due to limited government response and logistical challenges. Without elevated or cyclone-resistant structures, communities find themselves rebuilding the same facilities repeatedly.
Moreover, coordination gaps among implementing agencies, limited funds, and bureaucratic delays hinder sustainable infrastructure development. There is also a lack of trained personnel to manage or repair systems locally, leaving villagers dependent on outside support.
Socioeconomic Vulnerabilities Amplify WASH Challenges
The Sundarbans’ population is among the most economically marginalized in India, with over 80% of households falling below the poverty line. Women and children bear a disproportionate burden of water collection and hygiene management, especially as safe water becomes harder to access. The collapse of traditional livelihoods—such as farming and fishing—due to climate stress further limits household capacity to invest in clean water or sanitary solutions.
Conclusion
There is an urgent need to integrate climate-resilient WASH planning into broader development and disaster-risk reduction frameworks. Multi-sectoral coordination—across health, environment, water resources, and urban planning—is essential. Sustainable WASH services in the Sundarbans cannot be achieved without embedding climate adaptation into their core.
In the face of escalating climate threats in the Sundarbans and other ecologically sensitive regions, SEED has developed a holistic and community-led approach to ensure long-term WASH security. Guided by the principles of climate resilience, sustainability, and equity, SEED combines the development of robust WASH infrastructure with participatory planning, behavior change communication and environmental awareness.
Our interventions are designed not only to improve immediate access to safe water and sanitation but also to empower communities to adapt, maintain and manage these systems in the face of recurring disasters and environmental challenges. The following pillars illustrate SEED’s comprehensive WASH strategy in action:
SEED’s WASH interventions are anchored in the understanding that infrastructure in climate-vulnerable geographies must be resilient to salinity, flooding, erosion, and extreme weather events. In the Sundarbans, where access to freshwater is increasingly compromised, SEED has prioritized the construction of deep borewells, solar-powered water systems, and rainwater harvesting structures as long-term, sustainable solutions.
Under the World Bank-supported ICZM Project, SEED installed 58 deep tubewells (370 meters) and restored 70 freshwater ponds in Sagar Island, securing safe water for over 18,000 people. These tubewells are strategically established on 2.5-meter raised platforms to protect them from flooding, salinity intrusion, and sand/silt choking during cyclones and tidal surges—ensuring functionality during extreme weather events.
Pond restoration work is undertaken through a community-based mapping process, where islanders help identify and prioritize ponds based on usage and vulnerability. Each pond undergoes desilting and embankment strengthening, reducing the risk of saline water intrusion and improving year-round water retention. In off-grid and energy-poor regions like Ghoramara Island, SEED has deployed solar-powered deep tubewells with support from the Bansal Foundation, providing clean, reliable water access for 60 families without dependence on grid electricity. These integrated, climate-smart infrastructure solutions are tailored to the region’s ecological fragility and recurring climate threats, making them both adaptive and sustainable.
Central to SEED’s WASH strategy is a participatory implementation model that empowers local communities to take ownership of water systems. This approach involves establishing Water User Groups (WUGs) and building local capacity for maintenance, governance and equitable water sharing.
In Sagar Island, 58 WUGs were formed, and 870 individuals were trained in water management and basic repairs, transforming community members into custodians of their own resources. By ensuring that communities are part of the planning, implementation and maintenance processes, SEED fosters a sense of ownership, leading to better upkeep, transparency and long-term sustainability.
SEED’s WASH programming places strong emphasis on Behavior Change Communication (BCC) to create lasting improvements in hygiene practices and public health. In partnership with BPCL under the Swachhta Pakhwada Campaign, SEED conducted WASH awareness campaigns across 7 climate-affected villages in South 24 Parganas, directly benefiting 6,500 people through community sessions, demonstrations and local engagement. Recognizing the power of children as change agents, SEED introduced WASH education programs in schools across Purulia and Darjeeling, reaching 500 tribal students. Supported by the Trinity Challenge (Cambridge University, UK), these programs emphasized safe drinking water, handwashing and sanitation—enabling students to spread knowledge to over 1,000 households. This multi-layered communication strategy ensures that infrastructure investments are reinforced by knowledge, habit formation and community-wide adoption.
Beyond infrastructure and hygiene practices, SEED integrates climate and environmental education into its WASH work to build a deeper understanding of the links between water security, pollution and climate risks. Under the ICZM Project, SEED conducted coastal pollution awareness campaigns that reached over 50,000 people, sensitizing them to the impacts of waste on marine ecosystems and water quality. In Purulia, SEED used traditional folk media (Chau) to run a grassroots campaign against plastic pollution, engaging 3,500 villagers and strengthening waste reduction behaviors. These campaigns reinforce WASH outcomes while cultivating a culture of climate responsibility and community stewardship. By aligning WASH with broader environmental and climate goals, SEED is not only improving daily living conditions but also fostering a more informed and resilient citizenry.
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