Bangladesh : Southwest Area Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Rural water policy, institutional and capacity development - Water-based natural resources management

Water fundamentally affects rural livelihoods in Bangladesh, with the country's major regional river systems bringing about massive annual floods, severe dry-season water scarcity, and periodic natural disasters. Its effective management is critical to address pervasive rural poverty problems. Yet the task is complicated due to fairly diverse and complex stakeholder interests and vulnerable natural ecosystems. It is thus paramount to plan, develop, and manage water resources in a strategic and integrated manner with mobilization and empowerment of diverse stakeholders. While the country has established a large number of FCD/I infrastructures, their performance remains suboptimal, due to lack of effective management systems that can meet diverse stakeholder needs in particular the vulnerable poor, and most critically, providing sufficient O&M. Within the country, Southwest areas face the most acute problems, due to the reduced dry-season inflow and associated social and environmental hardships including salinity intrusion, along with annual monsoon flooding.

In recent years, the Government has progressively improved policy, institutional, and planning framework for the water sector, with the coordinated support of external financiers including ADB. The National Water Policy (NWP) 1999 adopted key principles including integrated water resource management (IWRM) and sustainable service delivery and O&M with progressive transfer of facility management to WMAs. This is being followed by ongoing institutional reforms of sector agencies for better governance, and the recent adoption of the National Water Management Plan (NWMP) in 2004 that provides a sector strategy and priority programs with a long-term perspective. Key challenge now is to transform these initiatives into genuine sector operations.

Within this framework, enhancing and sustaining performance of existing FCD/I systems has been accorded high priority, given their need to strengthen flood resistance and their scope for generating high impacts with short lead time with relatively low costs. On this account, ADB has played lead roles in supporting the initiative for small-scale schemes, being implemented with increasingly better performance. The Project is needed to develop and institutionalize effective mechanisms to be applied to larger FCD/I schemes building on the good practice and lessons learned, to support the process of participatory and holistic planning, inclusive WMA development, infrastructure and support services to meet critical local development needs, and sustainable O&M. Successful implementation of the Project will demonstrate the way to fully operating key NWP principles in FCD/I systems, with further improved governance of the sector institutions.

ADB's country strategy and program (CSP) for Bangladesh was prepared in 2005 following the Government's Povety Reduction Strategy Paper. Given the high incidence of rural poverty, the CSP prioritizes investments in agriculture commercialization, rural infrastructure, and rural water management. The strategy for the water sector is to institutionalize integrated planning, development, and management with sustained O&M, while providing support for critical infrastructure where high growth and poverty impacts are expected. The programs build on good practices and lessons, and promote further improved institutional framework in harmony with development partners. All are consistent with ADB?s water policy.

Enhanced economic growth and reduced poverty in rural areas of the selected subregions in the southwest areas

Enhanced productivity and sustainability of existing FCD/I systems

a) Overachieved. Cropping Intensity increased to 248%. (As per sample survey of the project area).

b) Overachieved. Annual rice production increased to 3.84 t/ha, (As per sample survey of the project area).

c) Partially achieved. Annual production of cultural fisheries increased to 3,583 t as per DOF and ISPMC field data.

d) Overachieved. Average estimated annual household income of WMG members increased to Tk. 86,400. Data collected from income impact assessment survey for female headed household.

WMOs capacity for sustainable water resources planning and management in the subproject areas strengthened

Infrastructure facilities of FCDI schemes in the subproject areas restored

Institutional capacity for sustainable participatory integrated water resources planning and management

1(a). Achieved. 4 additional IWMPs have been completed. Bamonkhali-Barnali, Purulia-Charbhatpara and Arol Beel completed, while IWMP of Sunamukhi-Banmander is replaced with FS Tungipara & Kotalipara, which has also been completed and endorsed by BWDB.

1(b). Achieved. 23 additional SIPs have been completed and endorsed by WMAs. The total number of SIPs are 36.

1(c). Achieved. A total of 112,589 (100%) members have enrolled against target of 112,319 (70% of total household no. 159,297). Of these 57,362 (51%) of WMG members are females. 36% of EC members are females and all ECs have six sub-committees with minimum 33% female members.

1(d). Achieved. Target increased from 150 WMGs to 267 WMGs, all of which have been formed and registered. Thus, the total number of WMGs including original project (90 WMGs.) is 357. Agriculture and fisheries programs have been progressed 104% and 75%, respectively. Female participation in collective action is 43%.

1(e). Achieved. 23 nos. O&M transfer agreements have been signed with WMOs. Manuals have been drafted for O&M and for LCS.

2. Achieved. Rehabilitation of 115 works are completed. Overall physical progress is 100% in all implementation schemes.

3(a). Achieved. Institute of Water modelling (IWM) has developed the MIS/Database of SW-AF project. Comments provided during its demonstration are being used to refine the MIS/Database.

3(b). Achieved. A committee setup by the BWDB/MOWR has carried out a need-based assessment and proposed a staffing plan, which has been approved by GOB. A regulation (pravidhanmala) is required to be adopted, following which staffing would be strengthened.

3(c). Achieved. Target increased from 252 WMGs to 367 WMGs, including 90 active WMGs of original project. BWDB through Directorate of Audit (DOA) has conducted audits in 90 WMGs under original project and 203 WMGs under AF project so total comes to 293 no. WMGs. The rest 64 WMGs yet to be audited by DOA under BWDB.

3(d). Achieved. WMO database (sex-disaggregated) published in the project website.

The consulting services have been selected and engaged through a firm in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to ADB for engaging domestic consultants through quality- and cost-based selection procedures. A total of 72 person-months of international and 532 person-months of domestic consulting services are required: (i) water resource development specialist (team leader); (ii) water resources engineer (deputy team leader), (iii) participatory water management specialists, (iv) integrated water resources planners, (v) institutional advisors, (vi) hydrologist, (vii) river engineer (morphology), (viii) design engineer, (ix) agriculture and extension spec, (x) fishery development specialist, (xi) agriculture economist, (xii) gender and poverty specialist, (xiii) environmental specialists, (xiv) resettlement specialist, (xv) quality controll specialist (water management associations, (xvi) quality control specialist (infrastructure), (xvii) O& M specialist, and (xviii) financial management advisor. In consideration of the non-engineering complexity and the need for early fielding, the consultants were selected by ADB and engaged by the government.

In addition, the Project will require the services of private service providers including NGOs and firms to carry out (i) participatory rural appraisals for IWMP preparation and socio economic surveys, (ii) mobilization of subproject stakeholder groups for WMAs, (iii) preparation of SIPs, (iv) survey, design, and supervision of civil works, (v) refinement and implementation of resettlement plans, (vi) delivery of various support services, and (vii) monitoring and evaluation. Technically qualified providers have been engaged, using selection procedures acceptable to ADB.

Expression of Interests submitted to ADB and the Government on15 December 2005.