River Erosion, Flood and Water Management, 5th Semester (L-3, S-1), M A Hossain Doc. Dept.

of DRM, FDM, PSTU, Lecture-3 Page-01

Different government organizations, currently working in the water resources sector in Bangladesh
mentioned below with their functions:

National Water Council (NWC): To approve the national water policies of the people’s republic of
Bangladesh.
Planning Commission under Ministry of Planning: The planning commission provides advises the
government in development planning. It prepares national development documents like the PRSP, Five Years
Plan and Annual Development Plans that are concerning to ensure proper water resource management. It also
prepares national planning guidelines and approves development projects related to water sector.

Geographical Information System Unit (EGIS): Collecting hydrologic, topographic, soil, and flood regime
data Support for continued existence after Flood Action Plan.

Institute of Water Modeling (IWM under BWDB): Mathematical modeling of river’s water flow, flood
management, irrigation system, national and regional, and environmental modeling; and survey and data
collection; developing a national hydrological data base Support for continued existence after Flood Action
Plan.

Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC under BWDB): Collecting and disseminating information
Lacks proper coordination and linkage with the national Data collection and monitory Units.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED): Planning, designing, and implementing rural
infrastructure development projects; Thana/Union drainage and embankment planning, irrigation planning,
land and water use planning; small-scale water schemes, canal digging programs, town protection schemes.

Roads and Highways Department (RHD): Constructing and maintaining primary and secondary roads, road
networks intervening with water courses and affecting hydrological regime.

Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE): Rural and urban water supply and Sanitation.

Water Supply and Sewerage Authorities (WASA): Construction and upkeep of potable water supply,
sewerage and storm drainage in major cities.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE): Disseminating information on agricultural technology,

including water and land use.

Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC): Operating low-lift pumps and tube wells;
harnessing hill streams; controlling salinity; distributing water for irrigation.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority(BIWTA): River conservancy work, including river training
for navigational and meteorological information, including river charts; hydrographic survey; programming for
dredging and reviving dead or dying water bodies; developing, maintaining, and operating inland river ports;
developing rural water transport.

Department of Environment(DoE): Monitoring pollution in rivers and underground and drinking water;
working with other water agencies to develop environmental protection measures; collecting and analyzing
environmental data; monitoring and analyzing surface water for pesticides and heavy metals; analyzing
wastewater samples for different agencies; helping agencies prepare environmental impact assessments.

Ministry of Land (MoL): Owner of all Kash (public) land including rivers. The Ministry of Land or its
representative at local level (District Commissioners) give permission to establish infrastructure relater to
river water use like boat landings, other structures in rivers, etc.

Ministry of Agriculture (MoA): Is responsible for overall agricultural development, including minor irrigation.
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Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board (BHWDB): BHWDB is responsible for monitoring,
coordinating and integrating the haor area schemes of other agencies in the wetland areas.

Department of Forest (DoF): DOF is responsible for controlling forested watershed areas in Sylhet, Cox’s
Bazaar, Chittagong, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.

Disaster Management Bureau (DMB): Disaster management including providing WSS services.

Department of Fisheries (DoF): Under the Ministry of Fisheries it is responsible for development of capture
and culture of fisheries.

Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO): The Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO)
is an apex organization under the Ministry of Water Resources, dealing with nationwide water resources
planning. WARPO is a multi-disciplinary organization with a team of 44 professionals from a wide range of
disciplines. The Water Resources Planning Act 1992 and the National Water Policy of the Government of
Bangladesh mandated and assigned various important responsibilities. These are grouped into two categories,
namely: routine core function and periodic function.

City Corporation: All the local government institutions are under LGED. There are eleven City Corporation is
the metropolitan cities i.e. Dhaka, Chittagong, Comilla, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal. Three city corporations have
WASAs where the WSS responsibility is with WASAs. In other three the responsibilities are with City
Corporations and the WSS development works are normally supported by DPHE.

Paurashava (Municipalities): Responsible for providing WSS services. Development works are normally
supported by DPHE.

Zila Parishad (District Council): Presently their roles are limited Upazila Parishad Supervise and provide
administrative and technical support to the Ups.

Union Parishad (UP): Implements development schemes including WSS in rural areas with their own funds
and funds available from Centre. DPHE also implements in WSS schemes in collaboration with UPs.

Different Non-Government Organizations, currently working in the water resources sector in

Bangladesh mentioned below with their functions:

Bangladesh Water Partnership: Overall objectives is Integrated Water Resources Management which can be
obtained through coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in
Bangladesh by maximizing economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital
economic systems. It is practiced under the auspices of the Global Water Partnership.

BRAC (Building Resources Across Communities): BRAC affords relief and assistance to resettle refugees
returning to Bangladesh from India after Bangladesh's Liberation War. The immediate task of relief and
rehabilitation are over so BRAC turned its focus on the long-term issue of poverty alleviation and
empowerment of the poor, especially women, in the rural areas of Bangladesh.

DSK (Dushtha Shasthya Kendra): Provides non-formal primary education, pond agriculture, water supply
and sanitation, skill development training and credit programs to some of the most distressed slums
throughout, and just outside Dhaka city.

EPRC (Environment and Population Research Centre): Member of the Asian Alliance of Resource Centre of
the Streams of Knowledge's Network.

ICDDR,B (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh): The fundamental mission of
the Centre (commonly known as the Centre for Health and Population Research) is to develop and disseminate
 River Erosion, Flood and Water Management, 5th Semester (L-3, S-1), M A Hossain Doc. Dept. of DRM, FDM, PSTU, Lecture-3 Page-03

solutions to major health and population problems facing the world, with emphasis on simple and cost-
effective methods of prevention and management. Especially address diarrhoeal diseases and related problems.

ITN Bangladesh (International Training Network Center for Water Supply and Waste Management):
Member of the Asian Alliance of Resource Centres of the Streams of Knowledge's Network

NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation: NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation
has dedicated itself to ensure the basic needs of safe potable water, sound sanitation practice and maintenance
of personal hygiene for the distressed humanity. Their motto is to initiate a radical change in the depressing
water supply and sanitation situation. Member of the Asian Alliance of Resource Centres of the Streams of
Knowledge's Network

SWMC (Surface Water Modelling Centre): The applications of SWMC modelling tools cover a wide range of
water related aspects such as: flood control, flood forecasting, irrigation and drainage, water resources
management, river morphology, salinity and sediment transport, coastal hydraulics, environmental impact
assessment, bridge hydraulics and related infrastructure development.

WasteNet Bangladesh: Network launched by WSP-South Asia. Address waste management issues through
collection and dissemination of information; formation of a think tank and pressure group; and linkage with
national and international bodies.

WSP - South Asia & Pacific – Bangladesh: The agenda for WSP-Bangladesh is to bring about procedural and
institutional changes to ensure access of urban and rural population to sustainable water and sanitation
services, recognizing that water is an economic good and finite in quantity.

CARE: CARE has in the SAFE and later, the SAFER Project, worked to integrate water supply, sanitation with a
dominant hygiene promotion/education component focused on the household. Its project, carried out in 2
districts with small partner NGOs, has involved action research and detailed monitoring on selected hygiene
and sanitation behaviors such as hand washing. This approach, and the book that has been prepared about it,
may provide useful insights into a strategy for behavioral change.

Water Aid: Water Aid supports projects with NGO partners and works in the field of capacity building and
training, technical support and advice, research and development, advocacy and networking. The Water Aid
programme has grown considerably over the past few years and the varied strategies it tries out may deserved
to be studied, through field visits, for the insights they could provide.

PROSHIKA: PROSHIKA has installed 25,913 hand tube wells and 414,106 sanitary latrines. It has established
487 latrines production support with RLF credit support. It has tested 15,084 tube wells for arsenic and as a
consequence of emergence of the arsenic problem scaled down its hand tube well project. Given the size and
spread of this project, it may be important for BRAC to try to work in coordination and to ensure that there is
no unwarranted competition with PROSHIKA projects—or for that matter with any other NGO—at the local
level.

VERC: VERC has been working on WATSAN since its inception in 1977. It is working in six districts in
providing technology support for latrine and water point installation and hygiene education for behavioral
change. It has developed nine models of latrines. It has set up sanitation committees with the help of local
masons it trained. VERC follows a participatory approach to 100% sanitation and the model has been
successfully implemented in one village of Sitakunda in a period of about 10 months. This project might be
usefully studied.