From Saline Threat to Safer Motherhood: Action Research Lighting the Path for Coastal Resilience

In Bangladesh’s coastal communities, a silent crisis brews alongside rising seas: increasing salinity contaminating drinking water, posing a severe threat to maternal health. Climate change isn't just eroding shores, it's undermining the well-being of mothers at their most vulnerable. Despite growing evidence linking high salinity in drinking water to hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and poor pregnancy outcomes, little research had been done to understand the true extent of the impact until now.

The Saving Mothers, Protecting the Womb project was led by Professor Dr. Md. Kabirul Islam, co-led by Mr. Khalid Md. Bahauddin, Assistant Professor, with core team members Mr. Maruf Ahmed Tamal and Ms. Maharunnasha Antora, Research Fellows from the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) at Daffodil International University supported by the Adaptation Research Alliance, UKAID, conducted the an in-depth, community-based action research study to explore how climate-induced water salinity affects maternal health in these hard-to-reach areas. For the first time, the voices, experiences, and health patterns of women in these regions were systematically documented, revealing a blunt reality understanding rising salinity is not just an environmental issue, it’s a public health emergency.

This locally-grounded evidence became the essential foundation for tangible action. In addition to the research, the project introduced an innovative solution, the “SolarAchieve.” This low-cost, solar-powered water purification system provides safe drinking water from saline water for these marginalized communities, reducing the risks associated with saline water consumption. By delivering four liters of clean water daily with an efficiency boost of 45%, the technology not only addresses immediate health concerns but also contributes to long-term resilience and climate adaptation.

The project is grounded in a transdisciplinary approach, engaging experts from diverse fields such as climate science, public health, environmental sciences, engineering, gender and social development, alongside local communities. This inclusive, research-driven strategy ensures that real, evidence-based solutions are developed to improve maternal health and empower vulnerable women in coastal Bangladesh.

The ultimate goal is to ensure maternal health protection becomes a core component of national climate adaptation and public health strategies. This journey from exposing a hidden climate-health nexus through dedicated research to catalyzing evidence-based, community-driven solutions demonstrates the power of scientific inquiry to safeguard maternal well-being against the encroaching tides, turning vital data into a foundation for resilience.