As the oceans rise, salt water infiltrates both soil and groundwater. Saltwater intrusion, In coastal Bangladesh, the area impacted by salinity has expanded from 833,000 to 1.02 million hectares in 19 districts since 1973.
How bad is the damage?
Fresh cropland of around 6,200 hectares is affected due to salt every year. In five districts, salinity on more than half the farms exceeds 8 dS/m. Researchers point out there are no rice varieties that can withstand that level of salinity, and the farmers who planted them say they were rather disappointed with the outcome. Groundwater tests indicate salinity levels that can reach up to 40,000 µS/cm.
What is going on in India?
It is estimated that salinity affects 6.7 million hectares of farmland in India, while groundwater levels are rising in Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, increased salinity levels of rivers have been recorded in and near the Sundarbans in some more recent studies.
What are the expectations for the future? – saltwater intrusion
Future predictions keep forecasting an increase in salinity up to 26 percent on average for coastal areas by 2050 and a rise in salinity by more than 55 percent in the most affected zones.
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