Being located in the south-western hydrological region of Bangladesh, Chanda Beel, a coastal freshwater wetland, is threatened by over-exploitation of resources. Therefore, this study made an attempt to estimate the non-use values of the wetland to realise its hidden values. The study used the contingent valuation method (CVM) method to place a value on the non-use attributes of the wetland and the results show that the non-use value is approximately US$ 0.48 million annually. The effects of socio-economic factors on willingness to pay (WTP) were also examined. Finally, the paper concludes that the estimated nonuse values need to be incorporated for a better management of the wetland resources.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Southwest coastal Bangladesh has an acute scarcity of safe drinking water. Both the government and non-government organizations are now promoting reverse osmosis based small scale desalination plants (SSDPs) to ensure safe drinking water. The aim of this study was to assess the physico-chemical and bacteriological quality of the desalination plants (DPs) installed in southwest coastal Bangladesh. Water samples were collected from the inlet and outlet of 10 DPs. The product water mostly complied with water quality standards. High levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) in feed water were reduced significantly after the treatment, although 10% and 20% of the product water samples respectively did not comply with the WHO drinking water standards for those parameters. Compliance of product water with the WHO and Bangladesh drinking water standards for chloride, bicarbonate and sodium were found in respectively 80%, 90% and 70% of the samples, although their concentrations in all the feed water samples were higher than both of the standards. About one-third of the DPs did not meet the drinking water standard for sodium, which may be an important health concern for the people consuming this water. Apart from one of the DPs, all of them complied with the standard for faecal coliform and Escherichia coli. Results suggest that proper maintenance of the SSDPs is necessary to ensure safe drinking water for the coastal population of southwest Bangladesh.