This study diagnoses temporal and spatial variations in the performance of different social-ecological systems (SES) in coastal floodplain management in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. We go beyond common pool resource management problems and address the management of local public goods. In the assessment, we consider recent developments in the framework initially developed by Elinor Ostrom. The main variables of the framework that we use are resource systems, the environment, the governance system and actors. The focal SES is defined based on guiding questions relating to the definition of the key problem, system boundaries, and action situations. According to our results, the performance of resource systems and the environment deteriorated in 1960-79 compared to the performance prior to 1960. The condition reached a low point during 1980-1999 but improved slightly after 1999. The horizontal network structure of local governance was active until 1960. Due to the introduction of the 'tidal river management' approach in the 90 s, the performance of the resource system and the environment has slightly improved, as has the involvement of government and nongovernment organizations. Our results also show that overall SES performance is comparatively better

The Ganges-Brahmaputra (GB) delta is one of the most disaster-prone areas in the world due to a combination of high population density and exposure to tropical cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion and other hazards. Due to the complexity of natural deltaic processes and human influence on these processes, structural solutions like embankments are inadequate on their own for effective hazard mitigation. This article examines nature-based solutions (NbSs) as a complementary or alternative approach to managing hazards in the GB delta. We investigate the potential of NbS as a complementary and sustainable method for mitigating the impacts of coastal disaster risks, mainly cyclones and flooding. Using the emerging framework of NbS principles, we evaluate three existing approaches: tidal river management, mangrove afforestation, and oyster reef cultivation, all of which are actively being used to help reduce the impacts of coastal hazards. We also identify major challenges (socioeconomic, biophysical, governance and policy) that need to be overcome to allow broader application of the existing approaches by incorporating the NbS principles. In addition to addressing GB delta-specific challenges, our findings provide more widely applicable insights into the challenges of implementing NbS in deltaic environments globally.

People, ecosystems and resources are three crucial components for understanding resource use conflicts. This study examines resource use conflicts in two coastal villages of south-western Bangladesh, where access to resources are essential to rural livelihoods. Resource utilization conflicts can emerge when interests and needs of different users groups are incompatible or denied by each other. Considering these issues, this study has taken as an effort to explore the issues, reasons, stage, scale and impact of conflicts. Relevant data were collected through questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII). The study found that rapid encroachment of crop land into shrimp farming, contrasting dynamic occupational practices, human made over use or overstrain of natural resources combined with environmental degradation and climate change, pose serious threat to human security. These rapid, and mostly unexpected changes provoke conflicts among the dominant resource user groups. Moreover, driver of conflicts and typological classification were addressed to make them comparable in the sense which one requires the most attention according to the predicted scale and urgency of impact. Conflict management strategies were discussed by four building blocks which might be a remarkable part of conflict prevention in the study area.

The present study was carried out to characterize leachate from waste dumping site and its impact on surrounding surface water quality at Rajbandh in Khulna. For this purpose, surface water samples (10) and leachate samples (5) were taken from the site during two season the monsoon season and post monsoon respectively. The samples were taken during the daytime from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m because at midday the temperature rises and the physico-chemical parameters of the water are modified. Some physico-chemical parameters such as pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved Solids (TDS), Dissolve Oxygen (DO), Chloride (Cl-), Magnesium (Mg2+), Calcium (Ca2+), Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Iron (Fe2+), Phosphate (PO43-), Sulfate (SO42-), Nitrate (NO32-) were analyzed in the laboratory in accordance with standard laboratory procedure. As well as some heavy metals such as Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Manganese, Iron and Zinc were also analyzed in the laboratory. It is observed that, the physicochemical characteristics of surface water and leachate samples vary among the parameters in two seasons throughout the study period. The concentration of TDS and EC were found to be high in leachate compare to surface water samples that might be caused due to the existence of high-level various anions and soluble salts with other inorganic components. In monsoon the TDS values ranged from 3227 ± 2357 for leachate and 737 ± 498 for surface water samples whereas in post-monsoon the variation followed by 4640 ± 1790 and 803 ± 232 for surface water and leachate respectively. In case of EC for leachate it varied from 3630 ± 1397 and 4900 ± 1734 for monsoon and post-monsoon seasons correspondingly but varied from 1473 ± 498 in monsoon and 1627 ± 473 in post-monsoon for surface water samples. The high concentration of BOD (3.91 ± 1.54 in monsoon and 6.25 ± 3.27 in post- monsoon) and COD (117.80 ± 58.31 in monsoon and 229.39 ± 166.55 in post-monsoon) value were found in surface water samples compared to leachate samples. In case of Cr for leachate it varied from 0.081 ± 0.029 and 0.070 ± 0.026 for monsoon and post-monsoon seasons correspondingly. As well as the concentration of Cd (0.023± 0.006 in monsoon and 0.087±0.068 in post monsoon) and Pb (0.35±0.109 in monsoon and 0.025±0.013 in post monsoon) varied greatly during both season. The concentration of heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cr and Mn in surface water samples was also greater than 0.001mg/l. Further for leachate COD was very strongly correlated with TDS and cadmium. Magnesium was significantly correlated with potassium. For surface water sample TDS was significantly correlated with EC and pH. Chloride was significantly correlated with Cd and pb was correlated with calcium. This study recommended that the authority should take proper steps for the management of waste as well as give emphasis on the leachate collection.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) transportation is one of the essential elements in solid waste management. Management of urban solid waste is reflected as the most severe and challenging environmental problem confronting municipal authorities in Bangladesh. So, ensuring an effective route for transportation and solid waste disposal is a critical factor here. Optimal transportation and disposal provision can save time and waste handling cost. The objective of this study was set to (i) develop an optimized waste transportation route and (ii) to assess the landfill requirement to manage the disposed waste. In this study, optimized route plans have been developed with minimum travel distance regarding the accessibility of the road for transporting MSW from Secondary Transfer Station (STS) to Final Disposal Site (FDS) by using ArcGIS Network Analyst in Khulna City Corporation (KCC). The result shows that about 17 km travel distance, 45 min travel time, and 30 L fuel can be saved per day using the optimal routes. Besides, it was found that the current land area at the FDS is not enough for managing the finally disposed wastes of the whole city. The existing landfill site requires 13.4 acres of additional land if the current practice (without composting) continues.