The Padma, second longest river of Bangladesh and contributes significantly to fisheries production and dependent fishers’ livelihood. This study aimed at assessing livelihood status of the hilsa fishers by compiling both qualitative and quantitative data. Empirical filed data were obtained by employing participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools, comprising household interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews from May to October, 2018. Main livelihood activities were fishing; fish drying, fish trading, net mending, boat making and repairing activity, agriculture, small business and daily labor. Among total 288 households, 150 were exclusively involved in fishing, 110 fishing and other agricultural farming and only 28 were involved in small business. Maximum number of fishers (39%) belonged to the age group of 31 to 40 years, 21% belonged to the age group of 21 to 30 years. fishers’ annual income ranges from 32000 + 510 BDT to 48000 + 750 BDT whereas 10% have annual income 100,000 + 1120 BDT. The overall livelihood status of the hilsa fishers were not satisfactory due to some social and economic constraints like increasing fishers’ number, low income, lack of alternative income generating activities, loan problems, piracy, price hike and conflicts with stakeholders for resources. Effective initiatives and their proper implementations are very crucial to improve the livelihood of the fishers.

Globally livelihoods of over half a billion fisher folk are exposed to the multiple adverse impacts of climate variability and changes that affect their capacity to survive. Yet very few studies focused on coastal fishing people and remain in a neglected corner of climate adaptation policy. Based on field work in four fishing communities this study identifies the adaptation barriers of coastal fishing communities of Bangladesh to the impact of climate change using household questionnaires, oral history interviews, and focus group discussions in four fishing communities of Bhola and Patuakhali district. A livelihood framework was used to synthesize the impact of climate change on fishing communities. Existing adaptation strategies with their limitation were also identified to explore their impact on local livelihood and management strategy. The result showed that frequent occurrence of natural calamities like cyclone, storm and tidal surge, fluctuation of temperature and wind velocity due to global climate change deteriorate the situation. The cruxes include, scarcity of cyclone center, damage of embankment, negligence to early warning, inaccessibility of early warning during fishing, aloofness of the government officials and local representatives, acute poverty, attack of pirates, unemployment, inflexibility to credit, illiteracy, lack of skills and alternative income source, insecurity of future generation, poor communication system, sanitation problem, scarcity of medical treatment, outbreak of damning diseases, slight of fishing laws and improper distribution of relief. These factors hinder completion of fishing trips, response to extreme events, safe return of boat and adopt with environmental changes. A number of suggestions are elicited from fishers’ perception for effective tackling of climate change that include construction of cyclone center and embankment, mangrove afforestation to protect embankment, assurance of sufficient buoys in boat, helicopter rescue system from fishing place, wireless network or specialized software response system and miking by navy in case of any sudden adverse climatic condition.

The geographical location of Bangladesh makes it one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Climate-induced phenomena mainly affect the south-central region of Bangladesh (Laxmipur district) where they have begun to occur more frequently. The aim of the study was to identify the hydro-climatic factors that lead to weather-related disasters in the coastal areas and analyse the consequences of these factors on coastal livelihoods, with possible adaptation options using participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools. The present study showed several disasters such as land erosion, depressions and cyclones, coastal flooding, storm surge, and precipitation. The frequency of these disasters is of a noticeable rate. Surveys have also discovered that land erosion is ongoing. Tidal water is being introduced directly into the mainland, and as a result of the salt intrusion, production capacity is declining. The coastal belt is an important area for fishing activities, but due to changed fishing times and a lack of Alternative Income Generating Activities (AIGAs), people have been forced to search for alternative livelihood options by taking both short-term and long-term adaptation options. Therefore, in order to increase awareness and minimize the losses, vulnerable communities must be fully incorporated into disaster response strategies. The government as well as national and international donor organizations should come forward and resolve the present situation of these vulnerable groups since otherwise, they will have to endure endless and miserable suffering due to the effects of climate change ahead in their lives.

This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of caregivers and their relationship to the disease and nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in rural areas of Sylhet, Bangladesh. A total of 110 households with at least a child aged 6 to 59 months were selected by simple random method from 10 rural communities of three Upazila of Sylhet from September 2019 to February 2020. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the “Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene” (WASH) knowledge and practice, and multivariate chi-square analyses were performed to assess associations among diseases and nutritional status with WASH following a structured questionnaire. The study found a significant association between WASH with childhood disease and nutritional status, and 65% of children were found to be in a diseased state and 35% of children were found in a no exposure of disease state within the last 6 months. The findings sketched that mother with poor WASH knowledge and practice was at greater risk for disease outbreaks, disease frequency, and duration. The highest incidence of diarrhea was 17% in children aged 12 to 23 months. A significant effect of WASH was also found in children’s nutritional status, which was reflected in the ratio of stunted, underweight, and wasted children. Integrated convergent work focusing on providing clean water within the household, stopping open defecation, promoting handwashing, behavior change, and poverty alleviation is needed to improve the situation. Health, nutrition, and livelihood programs should be uninterrupted, and mothers or caregivers should be encouraged to participate in these programs.

Plasma-activated water (PAW) has received a lot of attention lately because of its antibacterial efficacy and eco-friendly nature. Compared to traditional disinfectants, this novel and intriguing option has a high disinfectant capacity while causing little to no modifications to the foodstuffs. Until now, PAWhas successfully demonstrated its effectiveness against a broad range of microorganisms on a wide variety of food items. Though the efficacy of PAW in microbial reduction has been extensively reviewed, a relatively significant issue of food quality has been largely overlooked. This review aims to summarize the current studies on the physicochemical characteristics and antimicrobial potential of PAW, with an in-depth focus on food quality and safety. According to recent studies, PAW can be a potential microbial disinfectant that extends the shelf life of various food products, such as meat and fish products, fruits and vegetables, cereal products, etc. However, the efficacy varies with treatment conditions and the food ingredients applied. There is a mixed opinion about the effect of PAW on food quality. Based on the available literature, it can be concluded that there has been no substantial change in the biochemical properties of most of the tested food products. However, some fruits and vegetables had a higher value for the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) after PAW treatment, while only a few demonstrated a decrease in the Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value. Sensory properties also showed no significant difference, with some exceptions in meat and fish products.