The Bangladesh shrimp farmers facing life on the edge

Farmers living on the country's coastal regions struggle with salty waters that leave them no alternative to non-sustainable shrimp farming

Coastal Bangladesh is an unlikely place for a fresh water crisis. Mighty rivers carve paths through the landscape, all the way from melting Himalayan glaciers in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. Viewed from above, the countryside is an extensive patchwork of agricultural ponds, glinting in the sunlight.

But farmer Sheikh Zillur Rahman, who complains of skin disease and stomach problems, is adamant there is a problem. "We think it's the water," he says, firmly. "It's too saline."