The National Consultation consisted of four sessions. The Bangladesh National Consultation Report describing the key national priorities for the sustainable development of water was compiled as a result of the consultation. The report identifies the following water management issues as key areas that should be addressed: further reduction of trans-boundary river flows, declining ground water table, salinity intrusion in the coastal zone due to sea level rise, river bank erosion and shifting of rivers, sedimentation of rivers and water bodies, impeded drainage and water logging due to sedimentation of river beds in the coastal areas, over dependency on ground water for irrigation during dry season, low irrigation water use efficiency and arsenic contamination of ground water and deforestation of watershed.
The report also contains recommendations for the better management of water resources in Bangladesh and suggested measures for management of water related disasters in Bangladesh. This is of particular importance since as the report notes, Bangladesh experiences water related disasters such as floods, erosion, cyclonic surge, salinity intrusion, droughts and surface water pollution, and these disasters are further accentuated by climate change.
This consultation was part of a series of 22 country consultations which took place from February to May 2013 to address the importance of water in national development. These national stakeholder consultations were part of the process taking place to listen to country needs and priorities regarding the post-2015 agenda for water and sustainable development. The findings from all the country consultations can be downloaded in the summary report "National Stakeholder Consultations on Water: Supporting the post-2015 development agenda".