Lecture 8_Blue Gold Program of BWDB

Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala

Professor on PRL
IWFM, BUET
 Learnings

• To have knowledge about improved water management issues

taken up under Blue Gold Project.
• How they are being implemented in the project?
• What are the new initiatives under BGP?
• Successes and Failures if any.
 Bangladesh, the largest river delta in the world, depends
for its economic growth largely on integrated and sustainable
water resources management.
 The three major river systems of the country mark its
physiography and life of its people.
 Its waters, its Blue Gold, have fundamentally shaped
Bangladesh culture.
 Efficient management of this immense natural resource
remains a continuing challenge and offers at the same time
tremendous opportunities.
 Empowering rural community organisations is the key to
sustainably manage flood control, drainage and irrigation
infrastructure in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
 The overall objective of the Blue Gold Programme is:
“to reduce poverty for 150,000 households living in
160,000 ha area of selected coastal polders by creating a
healthy living environment and generating sustainable
socio-economic development.”
 Duration March 2013 - March 2019 (6 years)
 Project Districts are: Satkhira, Khulna and Patuakhali
 Participatory water resources management will improve the
productivity of crops, fisheries and livestock, benefiting
150,000 households (one million people) in coastal polders.
 Many of these households are living below the poverty line
and are exposed to multiple vulnerabilities such as cyclones,
storm surges, floods, droughts, salinity intrusion, as well as a
lack of safe drinking water, water logging and river siltation.
 Blue Gold role is to establish and empower community
and water management organisations, forming them into
strong co-operatives.
 These organisations should be able to interact with public
and private organisations to further develop the area and to
improve the living conditions of the people by making the
available resources significantly more productive.
Key Facts
 Bangladesh is the largest river delta in the world. ‘Blue Gold’
stands for the water in Bangladesh as a source of life which
shapes the country’s culture.
 The programme covers 26 polders with a combined area of
160,000ha and 150,000 households in the three districts of
Patuakhali, Khulna and Satkhira.
 Blue Gold builds on previous project Integrated Planning for
Sustainable Water Management (IPSWAM) and on the long-
term Bangladesh and Dutch co-operation in participatory water
management in polders.
Challenges
We're helping communities protect land in polders
against floods from river and sea, to adapt to climate
change and to optimise the use of water resources for
productive sectors.
Solution
The creation of 850 water management organisations equipped
with the technical, advocacy, communication, and project
management skills to operate and maintain water management
assets.
 Water Management Organisations will work with government
departments, non-governmental organisations and the private sector
to improve and maintain water management infrastructure and
determine what local producers (agriculture, fisheries and livestock)
can do to increase their incomes while addressing environmental
components, gender inclusion and governance.
Programme Components:
1. Community Mobilisation and Institutional Strengthening:
Communities in the polders are organised into Water Management
Groups (WMGs) at village level and Water Management
Associations (WMAs) at polder level to create effective cooperatives
to formulate community priorities. It will build on training
approach and toolkit developed in the IPSWAM and Southwest
Area project. At least 30% women participation is ensured as
general and executive committee members in WMGs/WMAs.
2. Integrated Water Resources Management: This
component enhances flood protection in polders by
rehabilitation of embankments and water intakes and outlets
and by improving water distribution and drainage systems;
It fine-tunes and rehabilitates the infrastructural works of
selected polders; and creates an effective operational
partnership between government agencies and community
groups (WMG/WMA).
Planning, design and implementation of civil works are based
on the principle of participatory water resource management.
3. Food Security and Agricultural Development: The
component organizes Farmer Field Schools (FFS). FFS are linked
to WMG’s to educate and assist male and female farmers to
increase productivity in crops, aquaculture and livestock through
improved water management (polder rehabilitation) and strong
WMG’s (responsible for operation & maintenance in the polders).
FFS and the Polder Development Plans bring higher agricultural
production, improved supply of nutritious foods at lower prices at
local retail markets; improved food security and food use through
greater awareness and behavioural change of the polder
communities.
4. Business Development and Private Sector Involvement:
A Business Development Plan of each polder is developed for
production and marketing of selected farm products.
The Business Development Plans assist the
WMGs/Cooperatives to professionalize and diversify.
Focuses on field crops or other agricultural products, and
value chain analyses are made and private sector linkages are
established for well-defined services as input for the Business
Development Plans.
It supports the food security component.
5. Livelihood Improvement and Cross Cutting
Issues: Cross cutting issues that are related to good
governance, gender (its importance will be reflected in
the inclusion of Gender Action Plans as part of the
community action plans and polder development plans),
climate change / disaster risk reduction (DRR) and
technological innovation.
Value and Benefits
 Blue Gold works closely with BWDB to realise flood protection
in 26 polders by rehabiliting embankments, water intakes and
outlets and by improving water distribution and drainage systems.
 Together with BWDB, 850 water management groups were
established, including an average of 250 households, to strengthen
socio-economic development.
Farmer Field School approach was adopted to help male and
female farmers increase productivity in crops, aquaculture and
livestock.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE),
Department of Fisheries (DOF) and Department of
Livestock Services (DLS) were partners for technical
support.
 Gender inclusion was ensured by involving at least 30%
of women in water management groups, in general and as
executive committee members.
Partners:

(a) Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE)

(b) Department of Fisheries (DoF)

(c) Department of Livestock Services(DLS)

(d) NGO and Research Institutes (Home and abroad).

 Main Structural Activities (upto June, 2019)

1 Construction/Re-construction of Drainage Regulator

9 nos. full, 17 nos. part

2 Construction of Drainage outlet

6 nos. full, 5 nos. part

3 Construction of irrigation inlet 5 nos.

4 Repair of inlet/outlet 190 nos.

5 Repair of regulator 138 nos.

6 Repair/ Re-sectioning of Embankment 310 km

7 Retired Embankment 6 km

8 Re-excavation of khal 410 km

Main Non-Structural Activities (upto June, 2019)

1 WMG-Water Management Group 511 nos.

2 WMA-Water Management Association 36 nos.

3 FFS-Farmer Field School 733 nos.

4 O&M Agreement signing between WMAs and

Executive Engineers of concerned BWDB Divisions 24 nos.

5 Sub-committee formed for O&M of infrastructures 165 nos.

6 Savings of 511 nos. WMG in Bank 752 lakh taka

7 Contribution of WMGs in O&M of infrastructures 44 lakh taka

8 Afforestation in Blue Gold polder area 35,500 nos.

 Women's empowerment
• Different activities are ongoing for crop based agricultural development,

fishery, ducks, poultry, cattle rearing and marketing development under BGP.

• As a result, productivity of land as well as income has been increased of local

stakeholders and community people.

• Proper training of WMG members on agriculture, livestock, fishery, poultry,

livestock and vaccination is playing supportive role in increasing production

of those sectors.
 Women's empowerment

• Water Management Group (WMG) has been formed with inclusion of at least 55%

of the household of that catchment area under any water control structure (Sluice or

Regulator).

• On an average, 300 persons have been registered per WMG.

• Executive committee of each of the WMG constituted with 12 members.

• From the very beginning of this program, at least 33% female members have been

included in the Executive Committee.

 Women's empowerment

• Women members of the WMGs actively participate in the group meeting

and decision making.
• Out of the women members of the WMG, through their active and
popular role, 22 women have been elected as UP member.
• For training of Farmers Field School on crop production, fish, poultry,
livestock rearing 50% women members have been included.
• In the training resources group good number of female trainers have
been working.
 Economic capacity enhancement

• Savings of WMG members accumulated more than 7.5crore taka till June
2019.
• Around 42% of this savings/deposit has been distributed as loan at low
interest to WMG members for supporting income generating activities.
• As a result they have become financially empowered and NGO based loan at
a high stopped.
• The farmers have been taking Collative Actions under WMG for land
preparation, seedling, application of fertilizer and insecticide etc, which needs
less cost individually and thus saving money.
• They collectively buy seed, seedlings, fertilizers, fish feed, vaccine for
poultry, cattle and other inputs from hole sale price, less per unit cost.
 Economic capacity enhancement
• BGP has worked for network development with WMG.

• Since end of 2016, Mug Dal has been exporting to Japan from Patuakhali and Barguna

area. that needs minimum tillage for land preparation, don't need irrigation, inter-cultural

operation, fertilizer or insecticide.

• Improved verities of Watermelon have been introduced in Polders of Patuakhali,

Barguna and Khulna areas.

• Fellow land in the Polders are converted to watermelon and other winter vegetables.

Dragon and improved Mango fruits have been introduced with the support of

Horticulture Centre.
 Achievement

• Water logged area has been reduced (More than 56% water logged area)
and cultivable land has been increased in Blue Gold Polder areas, about
119,00 ha in 22 Polders.
• Single cropped land has been changed into double/triple cropped lands.

• DAE field data indicated cropping intensity increased 18.5% in the BGP
area from 2013 (base year-before implementation) up to August 2019.
• All these contributed up to 25% increase in income at household level in
the BGP area during this period.
 Achievement

• More than 400 km khal/channel/small rivers are re-excavated through

regulator/sluice, removing flooding condition during rainy season and rain
water preservation.
• Rain water preserved in the re-excavated khals/small rivers is contributing to
irrigation, domestic use of saline free water and ground water recharge
during the dry season.
• Many household ponds have brought under subsistence farming and
improved extensive farming with local verity fish.
 Achievement

• Network has been developed among the WMG, the BWDB, DAE, DoF, DLS,

Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Fishery Research

Institute (BFRI) and Horticulture Centre through number of research and

demonstration plots and ponds in the Blue Gold Polder area.

• At upozilla or district level, the DAE, DoF, and DLS have been extended services

to the WMG on priority basis as they are the representative and organized group

from the Polder or village.

 Limitation

• Bangladesh and specially the coastal Delta is the most active and dynamic Delta of the

world.

• The erosion, accretion and silt deposition are continuously changing the river course and

land scape of the coast.

• Adverse impact of climate change and sea level rise poses additional threats to the coast

zone of Bangladesh.

• Therefore, there is no one time solution of the dynamic situation of the Coastal Zone of

Bangladesh.

• BGP needs continuous updating, proper maintenance, motivated community

participation and continuation of structural and non-structural activities for long run

sustenance of the improved productivity of land and water.

 Conclusion

• BGP has been playing an important role in poverty reduction and to

achieve food security in14 upazilas of four districts through integrated

participatory water management.

• This may be considered as a way forward for improvement of coastal

polder water management.

 Assignment

• To make a comparison among Traditional Irrigation

Project,. IPSWAMP and BLUE GOLD Projects.