Title : Salinity water vs maternal health in Coastal Bangladesh: Who prevails?
Abstract:
Saltwater intrusion is increasing in coastal Bangladesh due to rising sea-level, cyclones, and low freshwater availability leading to high salinity in drinking water. This paper has discussed the relationship between the salinity of potable water and hypertensive conditions in the course of pregnancy, the individual response and seasonal differences. A population based case-control study of 202 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia/gestational hypertension and 1,006 controls that included secondary data was analyzed and a dataset of 343 pregnant women through previous cross-sectional studies analyzed. Blood pressure at 20 weeks of gestation, household water quality, levels of 24 hours urinary sodium excretion and the views of participants regarding water were measures. Drinking water mean Na level was 516.6/ + 524.2 mg/L and a level of more than 900 mg/L was found to raise the risk of pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension 5.48 times (95%CI 3.60-8.34, p < 0.001). The tube-well users had an increased urinary sodium (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.113.80), and were more prevalent during the dry period. We propose the Salinity Responsive Smart Pitcher (SRSP) which is a proposed innovation in the house that will prevent the household saltwater entry to supplement rainwater harvesting and aquifer recharge to minimize maternal sodium exposure.
Keywords: Salinity Responsive Smart Pitcher (SRSP), Saltwater, Maternal Health
