Freshwater Scarcity and Livelihood Capital Disparities Across Coastal Gradients in South-Eastern Bangladesh

Freshwater scarcity is a persistent challenge for coastal households in south-eastern Bangladesh, where salinity intrusion, seasonal hydrological variability, cyclones, and competing water demands can constrain domestic water use and livelihood activities. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), this study was designed to compare natural, physical, human, financial, and social livelihood capitals across coastal, peri-coastal, and inland-transition settings in the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar region. The author confirms that 384 households completed the questionnaire, alongside qualitative data collection described in the original manuscript. However, the zone-specific sample sizes and numerical results cannot be verified because the household-level dataset and original statistical output are unavailable. Consequently, this revision does not report unverified zone means, index scores, regression coefficients, subgroup percentages, or significance tests. The cross-sectional design can support descriptive associations only and cannot establish causation. The findings must be reconstructed from verifiable records or the affected numerical claims removed before submission.