Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Water-Borne Diseases: A Comparative Study on Taltali Upazila of Barguna District

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the economic challenges brought on by water-borne illnesses as a result of climate change. In addition to identifying potential access to safe drinking water during climate change and potential health hurdles brought on by water-related diseases, it is important to learn how to reduce the spread of water-borne diseases. Methods: A mixed method design was adopted to evaluate this research, and probability sampling, more specifically simple random sampling, was used to select to sample from the target population. The study was conducted in Taltali upazila of the Barguna district, and data was collected from 384 respondents; among them, 5 respondents were selected for the key informant interview. The research project began in June 2022 and was completed in December 2022. Results: 41.4% of respondents said they suffer from dysentery, 22.4% said the expense of treating water-borne diseases has increased as a result of climate change, and 37.8% said they must travel great distances to obtain clean drinking water. Currently, 41.7% of individuals utilize tube-well water, compared to 19.3% five to ten years ago, and 27.4% have been taught that water filtration helps reduce the spread of water-borne diseases. Conclusions: People's vulnerability to climate change in the study area is a result of factors such as rapid population increase, unequal access to resources, food insecurity, a long distance to collect water, inadequate medical facilities, a lack of poverty, and a weak health system.