Char Development and Settlement Project Phase IV Bangladesh Short Listing of Char Areas for Feasibility Studies under CDSP IV Technical Report No. 4 (Final update) October 2012 Government of Bangladesh / IFAD / Government of the Netherlands Implementing Government Agencies: Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) Ministry of Land (MoL) Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Forest Department (FD) and NGOs i Table of Contents Abbreviations Executive Summary 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................4 2. Study area .....................................................................................................................................4 3. Overall methodology of selection of char areas ..............................................................................4 4. Preparation of long list of chars ....................................................................................................5 5. Preparation of the short list ..........................................................................................................7 5.1 Reconnaissance surveys ...................................................................................................................... 7 5.2. Processing of data and scoring .......................................................................................................... 8 5.3. Analysis and comparison ................................................................................................................... 9 6. Workshop ................................................................................................................................... 10 7. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................................. 10 Annex 1: Map with location of the selected Chars ............................................................................ 12 Annex 2: Composition of reconnaissance survey teams .................................................................... 13 Annex 3: Scores based on criteria for twelve selected chars of the long list ....................................... 14 Annex 4: Comparison of the chars of the long list ............................................................................. 15 Annex 5: i) Char Maksumul Hakim including Char Alauddin and Samitir Char ii) Dhal Char (Hatiya) including Kola Toli iii) Teliar Char iv) Sabuj Char v) Char Zahiruddin vi) Char Kukri Mukri including Kola Toli Annex 6: Proceedings of workshop on short listing of char areas for feasibility studies ii List of Abbreviations/Glossary Aman : Monsoon/Wet season rice ASA : A national NGO Bahini : Armed gang (illegal) Boro : Winter season rice BWDB : Bangladesh Water Development Board CBO : Community Based Organization (local) CDSP : Char Development and Settlement Project CEGIS : Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services DAE : Department of Agriculture Extension DC : Deputy Commissioner DTL : Deputy Team Leader of CDSP IV Ghat : River station for river way transportation Ha : Area in Hectare IWM : Institute of Water Modeling Jotdar : Powerful person having big agriculture farm Khas land : Government owned land Km : Kilometer LCS : Labour Contracting Society LGED : Local Government Engineering Department Masjid : Prayer place for the Muslims MoL : Ministry of Land Mouza : Smallest (Lowest) geographical unit (area) of land MT : Metric Ton (1000 kg weight) NGO : Non-Government Organization O&M : Operation and Maintenance PAC : Project Area Coordinator of CDSP IV PCD : Project Coordinating Director of CDSP IV PD : Project Director PMC : Project Management Committee of CDSP IV PWD : Public Works Datum Rabi : Crop season from November/ December to March Samaj : Local Social Community Sq. km : Square kilometer TA : Technical Assistance TL : Team Leader 1 UP : Union Parishad (Council) Upazila : Sub-district WMO : Water Management Organization XEN : Executive Engineer 2 Executive summary Under CDSP-IV project three feasibility studies will be conducted in areas for future char development programs. The main focus of this report is the short listing of the chars or clusters of chars for which these feasibility studies will be undertaken. The area considered is the middle, most dynamic part of the coastal zone of Bangladesh. Preparation of a “long list” of chars within the study area has been done based on three criteria: stability of the char, occurrence of natural disasters, and size of the char area. The PCD, the TA team, CEGIS and IWM were involved in the formation of a preliminary list of 20 chars in the study area for discussion in the Project Management Committee Meeting (PMC) of CDSP-IV. The PMC reviewed the preliminary list of 20 chars and finally approved a long list of 12 chars, in seven clusters, for conducting reconnaissance surveys to enable a comparison, leading to the selection of a short list of chars/ clusters of chars. For the short listing of chars, 12 criteria were applied: The three that were used to form the long list plus nine additional ones. Field surveys for gathering of primary data were undertaken in each of the identified 12 areas by focus group discussions (FGD). The discussions were conducted using questionnaires, based on the 12 selection criteria. Five field survey teams were formed, consisting of a mix of members of the TA-team and investigators from the study area itself, in order to have a good acceptance by the local communities. Each field team has been trained on the questionnaires and on how to organize focus group discussions and collect data. On the first day of the survey, each team visited their assigned char(s) to have an idea about the area and to identify informants who have a good idea about their own area, who were then invited to participate in the focus group discussions. The categories of people included in the focus group discussion were from various backgrounds. The numbers of FGDs conducted in each char were based on the size of the char and the number and location of households settled there. The first step of the analysis was giving a score to each of the twelve subjects. The scores were between 0 and 10. A draft detailed guideline for determining the scores was prepared by the TA team and finalized by discussion in a meeting with representatives of IWM and CEGIS, chaired by the PCD of CDSP- IV. The actual scoring on each of the main questions under all the twelve criteria has been done by a team of five members from the TA Team of CDSP-IV. The percentage of relative weight was proposed in Mission Report 3 and was reviewed and finalized by the TA Team. All scores were multiplied by the percentage of relative weight. This gave the final outcome on each of the twelve criteria. The results of all the criteria were added to come to the final score for the area concerned. The outcomes of all the 12 areas of the long list were compared, in order to come to the short listing of three most promising areas. These are i) Cluster of Char Maksumul Hakim/ Char Alauddin/ Samitir Char in Noakhali District; ii) Dhal Char/ Kala Toli in Noakhali District; and iii) Teliur Char in Lakshmipur District, possibly combined with Char Zahiruddin. It is recommended to start a feasibility study for Char Maksumul Hakim/Char Alauddin/ Samitir Char as soon as possible, and certainly within 2012. 3 1. Introduction Under CDSP IV project three feasibility studies will be conducted in areas where future char development programs might take place. The main focus of this report is the short listing of the chars or clusters of chars for which these feasibility studies will be undertaken. The report explains the demarcation of the study area (section 2) and the overall methodology (section 3). Then the text continues with reporting on the process as it unfolded since March 2012: the preparation of the long list (section 4) and the preparation of the short list (section 5). The report closes with recommendations (section 7) that were subject of a workshop (section 6) in the second half of September 2012. After taking into account the results of this workshop, the Project Coordination Director (PCD) of CDSP IV, the Project Management Committee (PMC) and the Technical Assistance team decided on the final short list. It is the intention to start the first feasibility study towards the end of 2012. An earlier version of the present report was published in September 2012 to facilitate the workshop. In the present final update the proceedings of the workshop and the reports on the reconnaissance surveys of the six highest scoring chars have been included. 2. Study area The area considered for the selection of the long list of chars is bordered in the east by the outfall of the Muhuri River and the Chittagong coast line and by the Tetulia River in the west. In the north, the area is bordered by the coastline of Feni, Noakhali and Laxmipur districts. See the map attached as Annex 1 for the study area. The area covers the middle, most dynamic part of the coastal zone of Bangladesh. 3. Overall methodology of selection of char areas The methodology applied in the process of short listing of chars is described in detail in Mission Report no. 3 (March 2012) of CDSP IV. This Mission Report was adopted by PCD and PMC. The main elements are: Preparation of a “long list”