People’s Plan of Action forManagement of RiversIN SOUTH-WEST COASTAL REGION OF BANGLADESH STUDY CONDUCTED Paani Committee BY All rights reserved by © Uttaran Published in June 2013 Published by Uttaran House # 32 (1st Floor), Road # 10/A Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209 Bangladesh Phone: 9122302 Mobile: 01711828305 Email: [email protected] Web: www.uttaran.net Design & Print Aura Communications [email protected] Study team members Shahidul Islam : Director, Uttaran Hashem Ali Fakir : Advisor, Uttaran and Team Leader of the study from Uttaran Zakir Kibria : Policy Analyst, Uttaran Fatima Halima Ahmed : Coordinator, Uttaran Pijush Kanti Barai : Assistant Coordinator, Uttaran Dilip Kumar Sana : Programme Officer, Uttaran A. B. M. Safiqu1 Islam : President, Central Paani Committee Moinul Islam : President, Tala Upazila Paani Committee Zillur Rahman : Secretary, Tala Upazila Paani Committee Anamul Islam : Member, Central Paani Committee Member Narayan Majumdar : Member, Central Paani Committee Abdul Alim : Member, Central Paani Committee Zahirul Haque Khan : Director, Coast Port & Estuary Management of IWM and Team Leader of the study from IWM Md. Mobassarul Hasan : Senior Specialist of IWM Md. Sarif-Imam lb-n-e Amir : Associate Specialist of IWM Md. Moshiur Rahman : Water Management Specialist of IWM Mujibul Huq : Environmental Expert of CEGIS and Team Leader of the study from CEGIS Md. Waji Ullah : Water Resources Planner, CEGIS Md. Sarfaraz Wahed : Water Resources Engineer, CEGIS Dr. Anil Chandra Aich : Soil and Agriculture Specialist, CEGIS Mohammed Mukteruzzarnan : Senior Fisheries Specialist, CEGIS Kazi Kamrull Hassan : Senior Water Resources Professional, CEGIS Subrata Kumar Mondal : Socio-Economist, CEGIS Mohammad Shahidul Islam : Remote Sensing Specialist, CEGIS SM Shafi-Ul-Alam : GIS Analyst, CEGIS Halima Neyamat : Environmental Policy Analyst, CEGIS Md. Amanat Ullah : Ecologist, CEGIS Md. Nasrat Jahan : Junior Remote Sensing Analyst, CEGIS Md. Mobaswer Ali Ansary : Sociologist, CEGIS i Message Director, Uttaran This coastal region of Bangladesh is considered to be the most vulnerable area in the world due to upcoming climate change scenario, especially due to possible sea level rise and recurrent storm surges. Currently eleven estuarine river basins in the coastal region of Jessore, Khulna and Satkhira districts are threatened. Without reducing vulnerability and restoring these eleven estuarine rivers, the situation will not improve. A sustainable regional river management plan is necessary for resolving these problems. In this region around 5 million people’s lives and livelihoods are under threat. Waterlogging, annual inundation of massive areas has become a recurrent and chronic environmental disaster. Waterlogging crisis directly affects a million people, submerges massive area for five to seven months every year, for more than a decade and indirectly affects the whole region, resulting in breakdown of economy, education, livelihood of the whole area. Over the last 25 to 30 years, the region is facing serious waterlogging problem. Besides, climate change related problems like sea level rise, tidal surge, increased intensity of flood and draught etc. are increasing day by day. The situation is worsening with every passing second. For more than a decade local people had been forced to migrate from the area. If necessary immediate steps are not taken, the migration will be worsened and may go out of control. The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh is unique and sensitive in terms of ecology and environment. It is very rich in natural resources and bio-diversity, and one of the most fertile regions in the world. Tidal flood plains with mangrove forests are considered a very complex eco-system, which has the highest production of organic subsistence. River estuaries are very much productive and rich in fish, aquatic and marine species and it is one of the prime fishery and aquatic resource for Bangladesh. During the 1960s, the Government of East Pakistan implemented a project called Coastal Embankment Project (CEP), with an objective to convert brackish water zone to fresh water zone and cultivating more crops. The project was funded by a number of funding agencies including USAID. However, the project design failed to comprehend the environmental and ecological consequences of an embankment construction. Although the immediate outcome was bumper crop production in the initial years but inhabitants started to face severe environmental and ecological problems within a decade. This flood plain is the lower part of the Gangetic Delta. According to geographical language, this area is known as an active delta. Around 150 years ago this area was disconnected from the flow of Mathabhanga River, which was connected to the Ganges. The land formation process and rivers were alive only due to the sediments brought by the tidal flow. But the land formation process completely stopped when polders were constructed during mid 1960s. Gradually the rivers started to silt up and resulted in water logging. The main reason for waterlogging is sedimentation of the rivers. The structural river control models imposed in the southwest coastal region to handle the situation have not been proved effective enough. The affected communities came up with an indigenous knowledge to address the problems, which is known as the Tidal River Management (TRM). After a detailed study by Centre for Environmental and Geographical Information Services (CEGIS), the Government gave recognition to TRM. According to the study, TRM is “technically feasible, economically viable, environment friendly and highly socially acceptable”. Since 2002, the Government is implementing TRM in the Hari River Basin. TRM will not only mitigate waterlogging crisis but also will be a tool to adopt adaptation measures against sea level rise, soil subsidence, tidal surge, flood and drought. TRM will also enrich the bio-diversity of the local area. This knowledge had been passed on to the people from generations. Historically it is seen that in every delta in the world, the people do water management and government patronize the process. But since Pakistan period, Government is controlling the water management process through establishment of polder and neglected the indigenous knowledge of local people, local environment and public participation. So these man made disasters are consequences of this. People’s participation in tackling and mitigating the current problems related with climate change must be emphasised. Keeping this in mind, People’s Plan for the eleven river basins is developed. The rivers are Sholmari, Hamkura, Hari, Upper Bhadra, Ghengrile, Salta, Kapotakshi, Shalikha, Betna, Morirchap and Shapmara. Uttaran has closely worked with local communities to learn and successfully persuade the national and international policy makers to adopt indigenous water management practices, such as Tidal River Management (TRM) to solve the waterlogging crisis in the region. TRM has been accepted by the first PRSP as priority method for river management in the region. Uttaran’s advocacy, together with the community platform and the Paani Committee, has ensured community participation in the decision-making process. Uttaran, with support from Trocaire, implemented a project titled “Social Mobilization and Policy Advocacy to Mitigate the Recurrent Environmental Crisis of Water-logging in Southwest Coastal Region in Bangladesh” from April 2009 to March 2010. The project operatinalized Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in an innovative way. The core thrust is community based river basin management to reduce the risk factors related to environmental disasters that unleashed in the region for more than a decade. ii We believe that sygergy between indigenous knowledge along with academic knowledge is important for any sustainable plan. That is why Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) and CEGIS were involved with the people’s plan. These two autonomous organizations are working for the Ministry of Water Resources. These organizations are working in the southwest region since 1998 and our working relation with them is deepening day by day. IWM and CEGIS have contributed their scientific expertise to validate the technical soundness and environmental viability of the plan. The plan was developed with community consultations throughout the eleven river basins in the region. Through these consultations, the locations where TRM can be implemented were identified. The possible solutions derived from the study are: • Tidal River Management (TRM) • Re-establishing connection with the Ganges flow • Re-linking the rivers with each other. We highly appreciate Trocaire’s support for developing a People’s Plan of Action for Management of Rivers in Southwest Coastal Region of Bangladesh. We are also sending our heartfelt thanks to IWM and CEGIS authority for their technical contribution towards the study of this people’s plan. Since April 2012 Misereor got involved with Uttaran to implement a project titled “Sustainable River Basin Management (SRBM): Adapting Climate Change in the Southwest Bangladesh”. Overall goal of this project is sustainable management of river basins with increased participation of community people that reduce human sufferings and economic loss and contributing to reduction in poverty and inequality in the South-western Bangladesh. Misereor provided funding support to Uttaran for publishing this People’s Plan of Action for Management of Rivers in Southwest Region. We are very much grateful