It has been estimated that globally, 1.2 billion people live with acute shortage of water. Water scarcity, particularly in south and south-east Asian countries, is well known. However, the social dilemmas and insecurities related to water issues are often less discussed. In the case of south and south-east Asia, the distribution of available water amongst various casts and creeds has been determined through several social hierarchies. Hence, water forms a critical socio-political issue, with a multi-faced dimension. This book critically analyses the associated social issues of increasing water scarcity in countries such as India. It documents the social impacts and predicament of water scarcity. The book will be of prime interest to researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the fields of development and environment, as well as water planners, and it will be a useful reference guide for future research in the field of water scarcity and risk management. Topics analysed include arsenic contamination, the impact of salinity on livelihood and mitigation, and drought resilience, adaptation and policy. The book concludes by providing lessons, challenges and future perspectives of water insecurity.

This book draws examples from food security issues in Bangladesh. The book is structured around those issues and underlying causes of food security, the implications from different sectors, policy analysis, and the role and actions of various stakeholders from different sectors to ensure food security. Bangladesh is situated in a climatically vulnerable position and is impacted frequently by such climatic hazards as floods, cyclones, droughts, and salinity intrusion. Due to global atmospheric changes, abrupt shifts in climatic conditions severely affect Bangladesh's agriculture. Although Bangladesh has made significant progress in increasing domestic production of food grain, if the production of major cereals is hampered due to climate change, food security will be in jeopardy. Most estimates show that a huge amount of additional food grain will be required to feed the growing population of the country. Ensuring food security for all is the overarching goal of Bangladesh's national food policy. Therefore, ensuring food security in the future requires a great deal of additional effort in yield improvement, with limited scope for expanding the area under cultivation. The primary target readers for this book are students and researchers in the fields of environment, disaster risk reduction, and climate change studies. The book will provide them with a good idea of the current trend of research in the field and will furnish basic knowledge on this important topic. Another target group comprises practitioners and policy makers, who will be able to apply collective knowledge to policy and decision making.