Goal: To establish safe, resilient water supply options for communities affected by flooding and sea level rise.

Summary/Activities: Bangladesh’s low-lying topography and its location on the Bay of Bengal, means that many of the country’s coastal communities are exposed to frequent flooding. Climate change is leading to more frequent and intense storms and rising sea levels. In addition to destroying WASH facilities, these climate hazards can also cause the salinization of groundwater sources (aquifers) which many communities rely on for their drinking water. UNICEF and partners have worked with the University of Bangladesh and the Government of Bangladesh to pilot a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) system. The concept is simple: water is collected from ponds and roofs. It is then passed through a sand filter and is injected into the shallow saline aquifer to create a freshwater “bubble” of drinkable water. Each MAR system can serve several hundred people and can be easily maintained by communities. The MAR system provides safe water when other traditional sources have been damaged by floods and storm surges. The approach has been scaled up and currently more than 100 MAR systems are operational. Their success so far indicates that the MAR system has the potential to be used throughout Bangladesh and other low-lying areas globally.

More info:
https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/MAR_WASH.pdf
http://akvopedia.org/wiki/Managed_Aquifer_Recharge_(MAR)