Regulatory frameworks for protecting inland waters from pollution : challenges and opportunities

Water is deeply embedded in the life and wellbeing of the people of Bangladesh.1 A developing country like Bangladesh is confronted with enormous challenges to prevent inland water pollution. The challenges include the scarcity of water, inadequacies of laws and policies, sharing transboundary water, and future challenges from a changing climate. In order to ensure the protection of inland waters, two types of action are significantly interlinked and essential: the conservation and management of inland water resources, and the promulgation and implementation of effective laws and policies. The objective of this paper is to describe and analyse the regulatory frameworks for protecting inland waters from pollution in Bangladesh. The paper discusses constitutional provisions, laws, policies, regulations and current institutional arrangements that deal with water resource management in Bangladesh. Given that huge flows of water enter into Bangladesh from neighbouring countries, this paper also discusses various attempts to share transboundary water resources and encourage regional collaboration in line with international development. It highlights some options to overcome the challenges, and the importance of joint responsibility among the governments, citizens and other stakeholders, with specific reference to legal and policy development.