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Our  vision  

Water  Smart  Communi1es:    Drainage,    Sub-­‐hydrological  units,  

Community  and  Governance      

The  key  elements  to  realise  the  poten1al  

 

WATER  SMART  COMMUNITIES  OPPORTUNITIES  

•  Rich,  valuable  and  under-­‐u2lized  resources  •  Poten2al  for  improved  food  security  and  poverty  

reduc2on  through  increased  produc2on  from  agriculture  &  aquaculture  

•  Poten2al  for  raising  the  living  standards  of  those  living  in  rural  regions    

•  Poten2al  for  ensuring  availability  of  polder  ecosystem  services  for  future  genera2ons  

WATER  SMART  COMMUNITIES  REALIZING  THE  OPPORTUNITIES  

Key  condi1on:  integra2on  of  policy  implementa2on  -­‐ requires  greater  coordina2on  between  ins2tu2ons  responsible  for    water  management,  food  produc2on  &  dissemina2on    

Investment  in  infrastructure  improvement  inside  the  polders  to:  •  Improve  agriculture  and  aquaculture  cropping  systems  •  Enable  drainage  •  Create  hydrologically-­‐defined  Water  Management  Units  (WMUs)  

Improved  and  more  integrated  governance  for:  •  A  community  approach  consistent  with  Small  Water  Management  Units    •  A  transparent  and  accountable  water  governance  framework  •  Formalizing  and  enhancing  the  role  of  LGIs  representa1ves  •  A  viable  strategy  for  maintenance  of  infrastructure  

This  approach  would  support:    

Investment  in  infrastructure  improvement  inside  the  

polders    

Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    •   (b)  Improving  drainage  as  the  key  interven1on  and  the  entry  point  for  cropping  intensifica1on  and  diversifica1on  • (c)  create  sub-­‐hydrological  units  within  the  polders  

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2  Nov  2012  HYV   local  

Strategic  drainage  during  the  rainy  season  enables  cul1va1on  of  HYV  &  thus  earlier  harvest  (mid-­‐Nov)  

Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    with  (b)  Improving  drainage  as  the  key  interven1on  and  the  entry  

point  for  cropping  intensifica1on  and  diversifica1on    

Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    with  (b)  Improving  drainage  as  the  key  interven1on  and  the  entry  point  for  cropping  intensifica1on  and  diversifica1on  (cont.)    

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Drainage  shortly  before  aman  harvest    (early  Nov)  enables  soil  to  dry  for  early  (1mely)  establishment  of  rabi  crops    

Sesame  Mungbean  

The  consequences  of  late  rabi  crop  establishment    –  low  yields  or  complete  failure  due  to  early  kharif  rains  

-­‐  high  yield,  high  value  crops  out  of  the  ques1on  (e.g.  sunflower,  maize)  

AFTER  RICE  HARVEST  –  some  areas  Low  input  crops  –  late  sown  (Feb/Mar)  because  of  late  rice  harvest  

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Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    with  (b)  Improving  drainage  as  the  key  interven1on  and  the  entry  point  for  cropping  intensifica1on  and  diversifica1on  (cont.)    

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Drainage  shortly  before  aman  harvest    (early  Nov)  enables      “early”  (1mely)  establishment  of  boro  (  transpl.  mid-­‐late  Dec),    ⇒  reduced  irriga1on  requirement  for  boro      

 

Drainage  is  also  the  key  to  produc1ve  aman-­‐shrimp  systems  :  •   leaching  salt  prior  to  aman  establishment  •   a_er  heavy  rain  during  aman  crop  •   many  advantages  for  shrimp/fish  produc1on    

 

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Drainage  is  easy  

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De-­‐sil1ng  of  khals  facilitates  drainage    &  increases  water  storage  for  irriga1on  when  rivers  too  saline  

Drainage  will  be  even  more  important  in  the  future  with  sea  level  rise  

Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    (c)  create  sub-­‐hydrological  units  within  the  polders    

•       Prevent  accumula2on  of  water            in  lower  lying  areas  

•  Reduce  high-­‐low  land  water  conflicts  

Message  3:  Invest  in  water  management  infrastructure    (c)  create  sub-­‐hydrological  units  within  the  polders    

•   separate  lands  of  higher  &  lower  eleva2on    •   make  use  of  exis1ng  roads,  strategic  construc2on  of  small  levees  (e.g.  0.5  m)  •   water  management  by  the  community  farming  within  the  sub-­‐hydrological  unit  •   adjacent  fields  have  common  or  compa1ble  cropping  systems  

Community  water  management  units  

Drainage  conges1on  in  aman-­‐shrimp  ghers    

 Could  be  managed  with    -­‐  good  canal  networks  (not  gher  to  gher)    -­‐  systema1c  opening  of  sluice  gate  at  low  1de        

Community  water  management  

Improved  and  more  integrated  governance    

Message  5:  A  transparent  and  accountable  water  governance  framework  is  required      Message  4:  A  viable  strategy  for  maintenance  of  infrastructure  is  possible    

A  TRANSPARENT  AND  ACCOUNTABLE  WATER  GOVERNANCE  FRAMEWORK  IS  REQUIRED    

Message  number  5  

Numerous  actors  involved  in  the  management  of  water  in  Bangladesh  Coastal  Zone  

Fragmented  and  disjointed  water  management  system  Lack  of  coordina1on              |          Overlapping  mandates  

 

Conflicts  over  the  opera1on  of  the  gates  à  Inequity  in  decision  making  Lack  of  accountability  for  maintenance        à  Deteriora1on  of  infrastructures  

•  Water  Management  Organiza2ons  •  Non  Government  Organiza2ons  •  Informal  actors  •  Union/Upazilla  Parishad  •  Department  of  Agricultural  Extension,  Department  

of  Fisheries  •  Bangladesh  Water  Development  Board  

•  Local  Government  Engineering  Department  •  Projects,  Programs  •  Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  Ministry  of  

Agriculture,  Ministry  of  Fisheries  and  Livestock,  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forest  

•  Donors  

•  Role  and  responsibility  of  each  actor  should  be  explicitly  redefined  •  Interac1ons  and  mechanisms  of  coordina1on  must  be  defined  

A  TRANSPARENT  AND  ACCOUNTABLE  WATER  GOVERNANCE  FRAMEWORK  IS  REQUIRED    

Message  number  5  

Scale   Boundary   Members  

Sub-­‐Hydrological  units  (sHU)  

Local  rural  roads/levees  

People  living  in  sHU  

Sub-­‐Polder  (sP)   Provincial/district  roads,  embankments    

sHU  

Polder  (P)   Embankment   sP  

   

Sub-­‐polder  Community  based  water  management  Unit/  Block  

Integrated  water  resource  management  

framework  

A  TRANSPARENT  AND  ACCOUNTABLE  WATER  GOVERNANCE  FRAMEWORK  IS  REQUIRED    

Message  number  5  

Formalize  and  enhance  the  role  of  LGIs  in  water  governance    

 

In  spite  of  a  limited  formal  role,  Union  Parishad  are  already  ac2vely  involved  in  water  management:  •  Opera1on  of  sluice  gates  •  Emergency  maintenance  •  Conflict  resolu1on   Community  members  trust  UP  and  request  

larger  involvement  in  water  management  

Union  Parishad  Coordina1on  Commihees  à  Scaling-­‐up,  integrate  water  management  in  their  agendas  

•  A  viable  strategy  for  maintenance  of  infrastructure  

Expected  benefits  •  Improved  coordina2on  •  Improved  accountability  •  Longer  perspec2ves  than  project  based  WMOs  •  Encourage  UP  and  LGIs  to  use  Social  Safety  Net  

Funds  for  water  infrastructure  maintenance    

A  VIABLE  STRATEGY  FOR  MAINTENANCE  OF  INFRASTRUCTURE  IS  POSSIBLE  

 Message  number  5  

COMMUNITY  LEVEL    Increasing  ownership  and  contribu1ons  

•  Give  WMOs  access  to  income  genera1ng  assets  like  lease  of  common  land  or  micro-­‐credit  

•  Devise  fair  rules  for  collec2on  of  maintenance  funds  •  Tie  contribu1ons  to  individual  benefits  •  Crea2ng  strong  local  ins2tu2ons  with  ownership  over  

the  infrastructure  from  the  start  of  the  projects  •  Crea2ng  homogenous  groups  so  that  members  have  

shared  interest,  sub  hydrological  units  

A  VIABLE  STRATEGY  FOR  MAINTENANCE  OF  INFRASTRUCTURE  IS  POSSIBLE  

 Message  number  5  

LOCAL  GOVERNMENT  LEVEL  Effec1ve  use  of  LGI’s  social  

safety-­‐nets  funds  

•  Exis2ng  rehabilita2on  work  schemes  and  social  safety  nets  funds  are  accessible  to  Union  Parishad.  

•  Those  schemes  can  be  applied  to  maintenance  of  water  infrastructure.  

•  Employment  opportuni1es  for  the  landless  and  marginalized  groups  

•  Strengthens  the  role  of  LGIs  in  water  governance  

A  VIABLE  STRATEGY  FOR  MAINTENANCE  OF  INFRASTRUCTURE  IS  POSSIBLE  

 Message  number  5  

GOVERNMENT  AND    DONOR  LEVEL  

Trust  Fund  for  maintenance    GoB  Development  partner  

Donor-­‐Government  Trust  Fund  

•  Long  term  Donor-­‐Government  Trust  Fund  for  regular  maintenance  of  water  infrastructure  

•  All  polders  get  alloca2ons  for  maintenance  from  interests  accrued  by  the  Trust  Fund.    

Reference  point:  Climate  Change  Trust  Fund,  MoEF  

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THANK  YOU