Natural Resources of Bangladesh

Water Resources
Water Resources
 Water resources are any natural water that occur on the
Earth, regardless of their state (i.e., vapour, liquid, or solid)
and are of potential human use. Of these, the resources
most available for use are the waters of the oceans,
rivers, and lakes; other available water resources
include groundwater, deep subsurface water, glaciers
and permanent snowfields.
 97.5% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only
2.5% is fresh water; slightly over two thirds of this is
frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining
unfrozen freshwater is found mainly as groundwater, with only
a small fraction present above ground or in the air.
 Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply
of groundwater is steadily decreasing, with depletion
occurring most prominently in Asia, South America and
North America, although it is still unclear how much natural
renewal balances this usage, and whether ecosystems are
threatened……………..!!
 Rivers
• A wide, natural stream of
fresh water that flows
into an ocean or other
large body of water and
is usually fed by smaller
streams are called rivers.
• Rivers can be developed
for several purposes
(power, drainage,
irrigation water, drinking
water, industrial water).
• They can also be
controlled to mitigate
floods, provide
navigational channels,
sustain fisheries and
ecological diversity etc.
River Morphology
• Tributary: a stream flowing into or joining a larger
stream.

• Distributary: numerous stream branches into

which a river divides where it reaches its delta.

• Upstream: moves toward headwater (up the

regional slope of erosion).

• Downstream: moves toward mouth of river.

Point bar
• Delta: a large, roughly triangular body of sediment
deposited at the mouth of a river.
Cut bank
• Meander: a broad, looping bend in a river.

• Braided : river is divided into multiple channels by

alluvial islands. Braided rivers have steeper gradients.

• Point Bar, cutbanks, levee, oxbow lake, back

swamp, floodplain, channel. The floodplain of a river is an area of low
https://8greatgeography.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/river-morphology-key-terms- relief adjacent to the river channel, which is
%E2%80%A8erosion-transportation-deposition-%E2%80%A8and-landforms/ inundated at times of high river stage.
Water Resources of Bangladesh
• Bangladesh is formed by alluvial deposits carried from the adjoining mountains of the Himalayas by the Ganges–
Brahmaputra river system over millions of years. It is a riverine country with more than 230 tributaries and
distributaries. The Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) river systems drain a total area of about 1.8
million km2 and formed Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) river basin. A lower riparian located at the
lowermost reaches of the three large rivers, Bangladesh itself makes up only 7–8% of the watershed (Ahmad et
al., 2001). The total length of rivers within Bangladesh is ~22,000 km.

• Bangladesh has numerous surface water bodies; haors (low-lying natural depressions), baors (oxbow lakes),
beels (deeper part of low-lying depressions) & ponds. The annual renewable surface water is estimated to
be 1,160 billion m3. About 93% of surface water of the river systems comes from outside the country. This
gives rise to an element of uncertainty in the quantity of water available from the surface water system.

• The groundwater aquifers are another important source of water and are hydraulically connected to the major
waterways. Heavy rainfall and annual inundation replenish the groundwater during the monsoon. The
internal renewable water resources are estimated as 105 billion m3 per year. This includes 84 billion m3 of
surface water produced internally as stream flows from rainfall, and about 21 billion m3 of groundwater
resources (Rajmohan and Prathapar 2013). Part of the groundwater comes from the infiltration of surface water.
Since annual cross-border river flows and entering groundwater are estimated to be 1121.6 billion m3 /y the
total renewable water resources are, therefore, estimated at 1226.6 billion m3/year (FAO 2011).
Water availability Information of Bangladesh

Ref: https://www.greenfacts.org/en/water-
resources/figtableboxes/aquastat14.htm
Hydro-morphology of Bangladesh
 The combined discharge of water from the GBM rivers is second after the river Amazon. These rivers discharge 1.5
million m3/s of water during the peak period. In the dry season, the runoff is only about 61,000m3 /s. The ratio of peak to
dry season flow is ~25:1. Almost 85% of the mean dry season stream flow is found in the GBM Rivers (World Bank, 2000).

 The Brahmaputra accounts for 67% of the flow, while the share of the Ganges is only 13%, (Hasan & Mulamoottil, 1994).
The Meghna contributes only 2% of the total measured discharge in Bangladesh during March. The ratio between the
discharges of the dry and monsoon seasons for the Ganges River is 1:6 (World Bank, 2000).

 The river Brahmaputra–Jamuna originates in Tibet on the northern slope of the Himalayas. The total catchments area is
570,000 km2, 7% of which lies in Bangladesh. The river starts rising in March/April caused by snowmelt in the Himalayas and
attains its peak in early July and mid-September owing to heavy monsoon rain. Minimum flow usually occurs during the end of
February and the beginning of March.The average sediment discharge of the river is 590 million tons/year.

 The river Ganges drains the southern slope of the Himalayas. It travels about 2,200 km before meeting the Jamuna
draining about 1,000,000km2, of which 5% lies in Bangladesh. Annual average rainfall within the catchments is 1,200 mm.
It starts rising at the end of June or the beginning of July and attains its peak level at the end of August or the beginning of
September. Usually the minimum flow occurs in April/May.

 The river Meghna rises in the Manipur hills in India. The total length of the river is about 900 km of which 400 km is in
Bangladesh.The total catchments area is 82,000 km2, about half of which lies in Bangladesh. The river drains an area
where the annual average rainfall is very high. The Meghna is a rain-fed river and reaches its peak in August. The lower part of the
river is under high tidal influence and consequential backwater effect.
Drainage Area & Water Discharge of some Largest Rivers
Drainage Area in 1000Km2 Water Discharge (m3/s)

Water Discharge at River Mouth (m3/s)

0.00 100000.00 200000.00 300000.00

Amazon (Brazil) 212376.35

Congo (Congo) 39643.59

Yangtze (China) 21803.97

Brahmaputra (Bangladesh) 19821.79

Highest Drainage Ganges (India) 18689.12

Area 10,87,300 Km2
Yenisey (Russia) 17386.54
Length 2400 Km
Mississippi (USA) 17301.59

Orinoco (Venezuela) 16990.11

Lena (Russia) 15489.32

Parana (Argentia) 14894.66

Total Length in 1000 Km
Surface Water in Bangladesh
 The source of surface water in Bangladesh is the rainfall and the transboundary stream flow. With an
average annual rainfall of about 2700mm, it generates about 276 Million-Acre Feet (MAF) of water. Water
from stream flow is ~818 MAF (Bangladesh Water Vision 2025, BWP) annually. Thus, the total water resource
generated in this country is ~1094 MAF or 1350 Billion m3 annually.

 This water brings down ~1800 million tons of silt annually, to deposit over the flood plains and in the Bay
of Bengal. The surface water resource of this country is very much essential for its human and animal living,
aquatic flora and fauna, navigation, agriculture, etc. It is also necessary for keeping alive the distributaries in the
delta, and maintaining the brackish water ecosystem along the sea, on an annual cycle. The annual average open
water evaporation from this country is about 1250 mm.

 Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has the sole authority to monitor and keep the water
resources records all over the country. It has 343 river-stage monitoring stations. These stations take readings
on hourly basis round the year. There are 110 river-discharge measurement stations. These stations take
readings on weekly or bi-weekly basis round the year. In addition, this Department has 269 rainfall and 39
open-water-evaporation measuring stations. Surface water fluctuations are very common in the rivers of
Bangladesh, as they vary on seasonal precipitation and remain dependant on the inflow coming from
upland sources. Precipitation is significantly less during winter and summer. At these times, water demand
for irrigation is high. But, India controls and withdraws water from all trans-boundary rivers.
Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Basin
Transboundary Rivers of Bangladesh (54 from India
and 3 (Sangu, Naf, Matamuhuri) from Myanmar)

Rivers Catchment Discharge Comments

Area
Brahmaputra- 5,70,000 km2 19822 m3/s 7% catchment in
Jamuna Bangladesh
Ganges 10,87,300 km2 18689 m3/s 5% catchment in
Bangladesh
Meghna 82,000 km2 3515 m3/s 44% Catchment
in Bangladesh
Transboundary Rivers 51%

• A total of 57 major rivers of Bangladesh have entered the

country. 54 rivers are from India and 3 rivers are from 28%
Myanmar. These rivers have many tributaries and
distributaries which contribute to forming ~230 rivers in BD.
• These trans-boundary rivers are very significant in 14%
agriculture, navigation, ground water contribution, fisheries
resources of Bangladesh.
• More than twenty-five rivers face one or more upstream
diversion basically in dry months.
• Issues related to the distribution/sharing of cross border
rivers between countries has been always a concern.
• Construction of dam(s) on a common river is another
conflicting issue between upstream/down stream countries.
• Regional cooperation is significantly needed to ensure the
management of cross border rivers
• Bangladesh owns an NWP, JRC with India. BD made a treaty
(30 years) for Ganges water sharing agreement, also seeks to
negotiate for water sharing agreements for Teesta, Feni etc.
Annual Rainfall in Bangladesh
 The average annual rainfall varies from 1500mm in the extreme
west to over 5000mm in the northeast (World Bank, 2000).
 Four seasons are identified on the basis of rainfall patterns.
About 80% of the total rainfall occurs during the monsoon
from June to September. In the post-monsoon (October–
November) & winter (December–February), only 10% of the
annual rainfall is available. Rainfall is extremely unreliable in
the subsequent pre-monsoon period (March–May). On an
average there is about 10% of the annual rainfall in this period
(World Bank, 2000). Therefore there is a seasonal lack of water
depending on the presence and the duration of the monsoon.

Fig. Average monthly and

annual rainfall in selected
regions of Bangladesh over
2002- 2012 (BMS 2013).
Surface Water (Inland Water Bodies)
 Bangladesh is blessed with huge inland open water resources with a wide range of variations
in nature. They are the places of storage of large quantity of surface water. There are numerous
rivers, canals, beels, lakes and vast area of floodplains. Altogether the area of this inland water
is about 4.5 million hectors. From this, inland open water contains an area of 4.04 million
hectors including river, beel, canal, haor, baor etc.
 The wetlands, called the 'beel's and 'haor's are depressions caused by shifting of river courses,
tectonic activities and land subsidence over ages. The open water bodies keep the dry season
storage in winter, and through their drainage outlets contribute to the base flows of the outfall rivers.
Many rivers have flood plains over the countryside, those go under water during the monsoon and
the floods. These water storages fluctuate on the fluctuations of their linking rivers' water stages.
 Among the closed water bodies, the 'baors' lay mostly in southwestern Bangladesh.These
oxbow lakes formed by the dead courses of rivers. However, the traditional surface water
storages are the ponds. The village people excavate ponds to meet their day-to-day water demand.
 In saline coastal areas, embanked lowlands store sweet rainwater for crops and public use.
These closed water storage fluctuates with the fluctuation of the ground water table in the area.
Bangladesh has a dam built over the river Karnafuli at Kaptai creating an artificial reservoir
of 8.25 million acre-feet capacity. This dam is used for producing hydro-electricity and flood
control in the Karnafuli River basin. A barrage built over the Feni River at Sonagazi has created
sweet water storage in its upstream of about 1.2 million acre-feet capacity.
Inland Water Bodies (Haors)
• Haors are bowl-shaped large tectonic depression. It receives surface runoff water by rivers and
khals, and consequently, becomes very extensive water body in the monsoon. It dries up mostly in
the post-monsoon period.

• Collectively Haor basin covers an area of ~24,500 km2. There are altogether 411 haors comprising an
area of about 8000 km2 spread over the districts of Sunamganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Hobigonj,
Netrokona & Kishoreganj. In greater Sylhet the most prominent haors are: Saneer haor, Hail
haor, Hakaluki haor, Dekar haor, Maker haor, Chayer haor,Tanguar haor and Kawadighi haor.

 The haors are possibly connected with the rise of Madhupur Tract and Shillong Plateau. The
haor basin comprising the floodplains of the Meghna tributaries consisted of a rich mosaic of
permanent and seasonal lakes and ponds with abundant aquatic vegetation. But through gradual
sedimentation, the basin becomes shallower leading to the formation of reeds and sedges. This
provides food and shelter for fish and other aquatic, fauna and attracted migratory birds.

 The haors are considered the most productive wetland resources of Bangladesh. The basin supports a large
variety of wetland bio-diversity and works as natural reservoir. It plays a key role in basin water resources by
regulating water flows of the Meghna river system. Haors are noted sanctuaries of both permanent and
migratory birds. With the recession of floodwater, a large variety of small fishes, oysters, water snails and
bivalves, and pasture spread over the surface attracting migratory birds.
Major Wetlands of Bangladesh

Some major wetlands

5. Beel Dakatia 10. Kaptai Lake
1. Chalan Beel
6. Durbriar Beel 11. Bogakine Lake
2. Ramsagar
7. Arial Beel 12. Naf Estuary
3. Hakaluki Haor
8. Kawadighi Haor 13. Hail Haor
4. Arial Beel
9. Hail Haor 14. Chanda-Baghia Beel
Inland Water Bodies (Baors)
 Baors are oxbow lakes formed by dead arm of a river in the
Moribund Delta (in the case of the Ganges). It appears as a
saucer shaped depression. The term baor is synonymous to beel
familiar in the southwestern part of Bangladesh. The notable
baors of the country are: Sagarkhali, Jaleshwar, Khedapara,
Rampur, Pathanpara, Kathgara, Jogini Bhagini, Ichamati, Joydia,
Marjat, Harina and Arial.

 They range in size from ½ Km2 to 13Km2. Baors are more

stagnant than beels and generally have water throughout the
year. The most common view regarding its origin is, when a river
changes its course some of its sections at the supply source get
silted-up, cuts off the arms, and develops an oxbow lake/baors.
Baors receive water only when the parent river is in high flood.
 Baors are considered to be very important wetlands of Bangladesh
and support a wide range of aquatic lives (flora and fauna).
Relatively higher peripheral land along the baors are used for
cultivating paddy and for grazing livestock.
Inland Water Bodies (Beels)
• Beels are large surface water bodies that accumulate
surface runoff water through internal drainage
channels.These depressions are mostly topographic
low-lying areas produced by erosions, seen all over
Bangladesh.
• In Bangladesh, there are thousands of beels of different
sizes, e.g., Chalan beel, Chand Beel, Arial beel. Most
of these large beels have shrunk quite considerably in
recent decades. A beel near Aloa village, Tangail District.
• Chalan Beel is an extensive lowland area in the
lower Atrai basin, and spreads across Natore, Pabna
and Sirajganj District. It consists of a series of beels
connected to one another by various channels to form a
continuous water body during the rainy season. Chalan
Beel is silting up quickly. In the past it covered an
area of about 1,085 km2 but was reduced to
368 km2 in 1909, of which only 85 km2 remained
underwater throughout the year. It has since
shrunk to 26 km2. Chalan beel Natore District.
Wetland of Bangladesh
Mangrove Wetlands
 Sundarbans cover vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp forming the lower part of the Ganges-
Brahmaputra River delta in south-eastern West Bengal state, and southern Bangladesh.
 The tract extends ~260km west-east along the Bay of Bengal from the Hugli River estuary, India to
the Meghna estuary, Bangladesh and reaches inland for about 80km at its broadest point.
 A network of estuaries, tidal rivers, and creeks intersected by numerous channels, it encloses
flat, densely forested, marshy islands.The total area of the Sundarbans, including both land
and water, is roughly 10,000km2 about three-fifths of which is in Bangladesh.
Kaptai Lake: Largest man-made Water Body of Bangladesh
 Kaptai Lake is the largest (11,122 km2) man-made freshwater resource in the South-East Asia
as well as in Bangladesh. The Kaptai Lake was created by damming the river Karnaphuli near
Kaptai of Rangamati dist. in 1961. This lake was primarily created for hydro-electricity generation
 The 'H'-shaped Kaptai Lake has two arms, joined by a narrow gorge near Shubalong-Kasalong.The
right arm of the lake, is fed by two streams, the Mayni and the Kasalong in the north and laterally by
the Karnafuli. The left arm, Rangamati-Kaptai is fed by two streams, the Chengi in the north and the
Rinkhyong in the south. The Kaptai Lake has drowned almost the whole of the middle-Karnafuli valley
and the lower reaches of the Chengi, Kasalong and Rinkhyong rivers.
 Surface elevation 31m, surface area 58,300 ha, volume 524,700m3, total annual discharge
1,707,000m3 storage ratio 0.31, mean depth 9m, maximum depth 35m, outlet depth 15.5m,
mean annual water level fluctuation 8.14m. Reservoir storage capacity 8.25 million acre-feet.
Apart from hydroelectricity generation, the lake has become an important, diversified and
long waterway. It has become much easier to exploit forest resources that had earlier been
inaccessible.The whole lake is now a great tourist attraction.The lake's contribution to the
development of agriculture and fishery is significant.
 It serves as a valuable reservoir for hatchery and fish production as well. The average annual
production of fish is more than 7,000 tons. Present production of fish is more than 100 kg/ha.
Kaptai Lake

The lake was created as a result of

building the Kaptai Dam on the Karnaphuli Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP), the country's lone
river part of the hydro-electric project.
hydroelectric project, with the capacity of 220MW/d
Importance and Threats of Rivers in Bangladesh
• Agriculture  Riverbank erosion
• Food and Livelihood  Flood
• Transport
 Displacement of settlements
• Trade & Commerce
 River degradation
• Electricity
• Tourism  Siltation
• Art & Literature  Traditional Navigation Method
 Accidents
 Hindrance in Road Network development
 Problem in East West communication
Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources
 Increased flood intensity due to higher peak flows, aggravated by increased drainage
congestions.
 Drainage congestion, due to higher water level in the drainage systems, sea level rise and
sedimentation in the floodplains.
 Increased pressure on freshwater availability, due to increased droughts (less precipitation and more
evaporation) and lower rivers discharge and increased demand.

 Increased saline intrusion due to sea level rise and reduced upstream flow in dry season.
 Increased river erosion, due to higher peak flows, not fully compensated by accretion of equal
quality, land elsewhere; and Increased intensity and frequency of cyclones and storms.
 The areas adjacent to major rivers and chars or riverine islands are expected to experience higher
intensity flooding. In the north-eastern region the rivers are flashy in character and extremely high
rain fall will cause frequent flash floods during the pre-monsoon period of April- May.
 Droughts will be prevalent in the north-west zone of Bangladesh and predicted to reach out
into the mid-western region from the districts of Narail and Gopalganj in the south through Magura,
Jessore, Rajbari, Faridpur and Pabna to Sirajganj, Natore, and Rajshahi in the north.
 Cyclones, floods, coastal erosion, and salinity problems may intensify and become more
frequent and spatially extended in the 19 districts situated in the coastal zone of Bangladesh.
Groundwater Resources of Bangladesh
 Groundwater is the most important source of water supply in Bangladesh. Except for few hilly regions the
area entirely underlain by water-bearing aquifers at depths from 0 to 20 m below ground surface. The
aquifer is mostly stratified and formed by alluvial deposits of sand, silt, with occasional clay. The main constituent
of the aquifer is the medium-grained sand deposited at the lower reach by the mighty rivers GBM & their
tributaries. Groundwater can be easily extracted by installation of wells for the development of water
supply systems. The water abstracted for various purposes is replenished in the monsoon.

 Water Quality: groundwater is generally clear, colourless with little or no suspended solids. Lack of oxygen
and nutrients in groundwater makes it an unfavourable environment for disease-producing micro-organisms to survive, grow
or multiply. On the other hand, being a universal solvent, water dissolves many of the minerals present in Earth’s
crust during its slow travel through the ground. Anaerobic conditions in soils in some floodplains, and the
presence of organic acids and carbon dioxide increase the solubility of groundwater. As a result, groundwater
may contain minerals in varying concentrations depending on soil conditions. Arsenic contamination of
groundwater is believed to be the result of such reactions in the adverse geo-environment.

 Uses: Almost all rural water supplies and most of urban supplies are groundwater based. Groundwater
extracted by tube-wells is fit for consumption. Groundwater extracted from shallow aquifers by hand tube-
wells has received acceptance in rural areas for drinking purposes, but due to high iron content, hardness,
etc. people do not want to use hand tube-well water for domestic purposes.
Groundwater Aquifers
 An aquifer is a layer of rock that holds groundwater (GW). They are not underground rivers or lakes. Water
can seep into or out of aquifers due to their porous nature, it cannot move fast or flow like a river. The rate at
which GW stored and moves through an aquifer varies depending on the rock’s porosity & permeability.

On a regional basis, three aquifers have been identified and named by BWDB/UNDP (1982):
 The Upper (Shallow) or the Composite Aquifer: Less than few to several hundred meters thick very fine
to fine sand, in places inter bedded or mixed with medium sand of very thin layers. The thickness of this zone
ranges from a few meters in the northwest to maximum of 60m in the south.
 The Main Aquifer: The main water-bearing zone occurs at depths ranging from less than 5m in the
northwest to more than 75m in the south and most of the country.
 Deep Aquifer: The depths of the deep aquifers in Bangladesh containing usable water range from 190 to 960 m
on the Dinajpur platform and 250 to 1500 m in the basinal part.
Groundwater Uses in Bangladesh
 Since 1960’s, groundwater has been used extensively as the main source of drinking and
irrigation water supply. About 75 percent of cultivated land is irrigated by groundwater and
the remaining 25 percent by surface water. Of the extracted groundwater ~70-90% is used for
agricultural purposes and the rest for drinking and other water supplies. The country started
emphasizing groundwater irrigation in 70s with deep tube wells (DTW) initially, but soon shifted
to shallow tube wells (STW).
 Increased water availability encouraged farmers to grow irrigated boro rice during the dry winter
season. Currently, about 4.2 million ha of land is irrigated by groundwater whereas only 1.03
million ha is irrigated by surface water using low lift pumps (BADC 2013). There was continuous
increase in the groundwater irrigated area until 2005.
 In contrast, area irrigated by surface water expanded more rapidly after 2005. This was probably
due to decline in groundwater table in most intensified areas which increases costs of groundwater
irrigation. The area irrigated by surface water declined from 76% in 1981 to 23% in 2012,
whereas for the same period, area irrigated by groundwater has jumped to 80% from 16%
(BADC 2013).
 About 80% of the total groundwater is used in three hydrological zones, i.e. Dhaka, Rajshahi
and Rangpur. In the north-west, groundwater irrigation is likely to continue until the limits of land or
sustainable groundwater withdrawals are reached. Dry season groundwater irrigation over a
seven-month period depends on adequate recharge in the five-month monsoon period.
Uses of Groundwater Vs. Surface Water for Irrigation

Historical development of
different types of pumps in
Bangladesh (BADC 2013)

Fig. Hectares irrigated by groundwater and

surface water by sub-district in the eight
hydrological regions of Bangladesh (Data: BADC
2012). NW: Northwest. SW: Southwest. SC: South Central.
RE: River & Estuary. EH: Eastern Hills. SE: South East. NE:
North East. NC: North Central.

Area irrigated with (a) ground water and (b)

surface water in Bangladesh (BADC, 2013).
Problems of Groundwater Management
 Declining groundwater table: The substantial
drawdown of aquifers due to over-exploitation of
groundwater occurred during the last decade.The most
affected areas are the north-west (i.e., Braind Tract)
and north-central (i.e., Madhupur Tract) regions.
 Between 1998–2002, the affected area was only ~4%
of the country’s total, but increased to 11% in 2008
and 14% in 2012.These are areas of intensive boro
cultivation and exhibit declining long-term
groundwater trends.The water tables in this area are
declining steadily but slowly (0.1- 0.5 m/year).
 In contrast, groundwater levels are slowly rising in
southern Bangladesh, a consequence of seawater
intrusion and tidal movement (1.3–3.0 mm/year),
creating waterlogged conditions.
 In the coastal zone, among three groundwater aquifers
(shallow, lower shallow and deep aquifer), shallow
Mean ground water table depth (m) for the height of
aquifers may consequently be salinity affected, whereas the dry season (March, April and May). Data Source:
little concrete information is available for deep aquifers. Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)
Problems of Groundwater Management
 Intrusion of Saline Water: This occurs through both surface and groundwater aquifers. The effect of saline water
intrusion is highly seasonal. Saline intrusion is at its minimum during the monsoon when the GBM Rivers
discharge about 80% of the annual fresh water flow. In winter months the saline front begins to penetrate
inland and the affected areas rise sharply from 10% in the monsoon to over 40% (World Bank, 2000).

 Environmental degradation caused by the intrusion of saline water is a major problem in the SWR. The
reduced flow of the Ganges during the dry season causes intrusion of surface water salinity from the Bay
of Bengal since the northward current of water towards land becomes stronger than the southbound river
flow owing to lack of water in the river system. The process has been exacerbated by the diversion of the
Ganges’ water at the Farakka Barrage in India. Since 1975 this reduction has caused the salinity front and tidal
limits to move northward, eliminating surface water potential for significant land areas in the southwest, south-
central and southeast regions.
 The northeast region of the Sundarbans is suffering from salinity intrusion. It is affecting fresh
groundwater for human, industrial consumption and irrigation of aus crops. The Khulna Newsprint Mill
and Goalpara power station have suffered serious set backs owing to lack of fresh water during the dry
season. It necessitates freshwater being imported by barge from further inland for various processing purposes.
As a consequence, no new heavy industry has developed in recent years despite increasing infrastructure facilities
(sea-ports, etc) in the coastal districts. Thus salinity in surface and groundwater in the SWR has become a serious
constraint on industrial growth. It is threatening the economy of an area >25,000 km2 dependent on the Ganges.
Salinity in Surface and Groundwater in Coastal areas
(a) Spatial salinity distribution in parts per thousand
(ppt) in the (a) pre-monsoon season and (b)
post-monsoon season in Bangladesh’s coastal
rivers and estuaries. Pre-monsoon (n = 96) and
post-monsoon (n = 44) sampling points.

(b)

Fig. Shallow
groundwater
salinity in the
study area (Data
Source
Bangladesh Water
Development
Board)
Problems of Groundwater Management
 Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater: widespread contamination of groundwater by Arsenic (As) was
noted in shallow aquifers of Bangladesh (BGS-DPHE 2001) since the early 1990’s. As contamination in
groundwater has implications both for agricultural and potable water supplies. In Bangladesh, nearly 35
million people are at risk from As, as concentrations in drinking water exceeding 0.05mg/L. Considering
WHO limit of 0.01 mg/L, some 70 million people, would be at risk.

 A survey of 3,534 tube wells in 61 Districts found that the water in 25% of the wells exceeds the
Bangladesh standard. High As concentration was mainly limited to groundwater from shallow aquifers
with depths less than 100 m. The groundwater from shallow aquifer is not used for drinking also widely used for
irrigation of crops, especially for irrigation of rice during the boro season. Crucially, an estimated 24% of the
groundwater irrigated boro rice area in the country is using water containing >50 µg As l-1 and about 7% of the
area is irrigated with water containing >100 µg As l-1 (Zev et al. 2006).

 In a national scale survey of shallow tube-well water quality, similar spatial patterns of arsenic concentration were
found (Duxbury et al. 2009). The highest concentrations found in the south-east and south-central areas of
Ganges and Meghna floodplain As laden shallow groundwater used for boro rice production, may result
in paddy soil with As accumulation over time, because inorganic As species in irrigation water are retained
in soils by adsorption of mineral oxide sulphate (Duxbury et al. 2009). Accumulation of As in rice can also
negatively affect rice yield & elevate arsenic concentration in rice grain posing health risks for consumers.
Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater

Effects of elevated arsenic in drinking

water on human health
Problems of Groundwater Management
 Groundwater Pollution from Cities and Industries: Industrial activities are
responsible for increased heavy metal levels in soils and sediments in many areas of
the country. Sediment contamination by heavy metals is an important issue of increasing
environmental concern. Increased unplanned urbanization and industrialization have already
affected the environmental components; air, soil, sediment and water of the Dhaka city area.
 The tannery effluents discharged directly to the nature create environmental
problems. Presence of higher accumulation of Cr, Al and Fe in topsoil (down to
investigated 6m) with significant amount of Mn, Zn, Ni and Cu were observed which
has already influenced the quality of shallow groundwater.

 Groundwater Degradation from Agricultural Activities: Bangladesh has a very high

population and aims for self-sufficiency in agricultural production. As a result, intensive
farming with increased use of fertilizers and pesticides took place. Chemical fertilizers
containing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are potential contamination
sources. There is inadequate knowledge of the extent of this contamination and the impact
on the groundwater resource. However, low levels of organochlorine pesticides
(Heptachlor and DDT) have been detected at some locations. Higher ammonium
and nitrate levels have also been found in shallow aquifers (Hossain, 1997).
Measures of Groundwater Management
Sustainable development and proper management of groundwater resources can be achieved with a clear
understanding of the groundwater system, its geology, hydrogeology, the subsurface flow and the response of
the system considering seasonal, tidal and pumping stresses.
Management: matching long-term discharge (withdrawals of GW) to recharge is the principal
objective of sustainable groundwater resource planning. Maintaining the water balance of withdrawals and
recharge is vital for managing human impact on water and ecological resources. Management of GW resources,
future develop., socio-economic & environment impact assessment, can be achieved by covering following aspects:
1. Because of increasing demand of water and to reduce dependency on limited fresh groundwater resources,
utilization of available surface water and conjunctive use should be done as per NWPO guidelines.
2. Excessive withdrawal of groundwater for irrigation, industrial & domestic use needs to be controlled.
Groundwater resources should be safely be extracted and needed to be assessed properly.
3. Regional groundwater modelling has to be developed for effective resource management to plan agricultural,
rural and urban water supplies and to forecast the groundwater situation in advance for dry seasons.
4. Assessment of maximum or most valuable utilization of groundwater resources by developing priorities
for long-term use considering widespread droughts, shifting populations and agricultural expansion to
minimize the increasing stress on groundwater supply in an area.
5. Better operation and maintenance of tube wells, operating the installed and installable DTWs under an
appropriate system acceptable to farmers, improving the management efficiency, crop diversification, increase in
electrification of DTW, sinking new DTWs in the potential areas may increase crop production.
Opportunities for Groundwater Management
Investigations
 Investigations on aquifer system and understanding of aquifer behaviour; identification of the subsurface
lithologic units, lateral and vertical extent of the aquifers, delineate fresh and saline groundwater
interface in the coastal areas and characterization of the properties of aquifer sediments.
 Assessment of groundwater resources; determination of the performance characteristics of wells and the
hydraulic parameters of the aquifers; the impact on withdrawal; the chemical characteristics & potability
of the aquifers and identification of arsenic, iron and chloride distribution patterns in the aquifers.
 Investigation of the recharge mechanism of water in the deeper confined aquifers; evaluation of the impact of
hydrogeologic heterogeneity and temporal variability in the flow system
Monitoring
 Extend existing network of groundwater monitoring wells for calculating recharge, monitoring fluctuation
of water table and movement of groundwater.
 Increase the numbers of groundwater sampling stations and water quality laboratories for monitoring
water quality and any possibility of saline water encroachment or quality hazards.
 Prepare models to simulate the movement of groundwater flows and mass transport system in the region
and finally an evaluation of hydrogeology of safe aquifer of the area.
 Zoning of groundwater aquifers, STW/DTW areas, saline encroachment areas, establishment of water
resource information system, strengthen and upgrade the existing groundwater data centres.
Water Management Institutes of Bangladesh

BWDB: Bangladesh Water Development Board, LGED: Local Government Engineering Department, WARPO:
Water Resources Planning Organization, MoWR: Ministry of Water Resources, BHWDB: Bangladesh Haor and
Wetland Development Board, IWFM: Institute of Water and Flood Management, NWRC: National Water
Resources Council, BMDA: Barind Multiple Development Authority, JRC: Joint Rivers Commission.
 Major Water Policies of Bangladesh

National Water Policy1999: http://nda.erd.gov.bd/files/1/Publications/Sectoral%20Policies%20and%20Plans/National%20Water%20Policy%201999.pdf

 Next Lecture:

Aquatic Resources:
Marine and Fresh Water