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

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

Output-1: Participatory integrated water management plans (IWMPs), 14 subunit implementation plans (SIPs), 89 out of 102 water management groups (WMGs) with Joint management committees (JMCs) and operation and maintenance (O&M) fund collection and spend targets, were formed under Phase-1 of the project. Under additional financing, 4 additional IWMPs and 23 additional SIPs have been completed . The IWMPs are (i) Bamonkhali-Barnali, (ii) Purulia-Charbhatpara and (iii) Arol Beel. The fourth IWMP of Sunamukhi-Banmander is replaced with feasibility study of Tungipara and Kotalipara, which has been completed and approved by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). The total number of SIPs, including those of Phase-1, are 37. The target of formatiion of WMGs was increased from 150 to 267 after detail study, all of which have been formed and 192 WMGs have been registered. Thus the total number of WMGs including Phase-1 is 369. In WMGs, 88,170 members have enrolled against target of 115,134 (=76.5%). Total number of households in the area is 164,481. 49% of WMG members are females, 36% of exeutive committee (EC) members are females and 33% of subcommittee members are females. Agriculture and fisheries programs have progressed 84% and 27%, respectively, against DPP provision. Female participation in collective action is 41%. No additional O&M transfer agreements have been signed with water management organizations (WMOs). Manuals have been drafted for O&M and for labor contracting society (LCS).

Output-2: Under Phase-1, FCDI infrastructure in Narail and Chenchuri Beel subproject areas were improved. Under additional financing, rehabilitation works are in progress in 9 implementation schemes with physical completion of 68% as of April 2021. However, to use the loan savings, additional rehabilitation works are planned.

Output-3: Under Phase-1, management information system (MIS) including WMO- database was deployed, but not yet operational. The data is being populated. BWDB already prepare an MIS named SIMS smart' consisting O&M Module, infrastructure inventory, progress monitoring, hydrology module and some other necessary features. As of now the progress monitoring in being implemented. The other module will implement phase by phase. As targeted, the MOU between BWDB and LGED was signed during Phase-1. On 2-Jan-2018, the MOU was also signed at a national level. Under additional financing, MIS will be developed and put in use by March 2022. For strengthening OCWM, a committee setup by the BWDB and MOWR has carried out a need based assessment and proposed a staffing plan, which has been approved by GOB. For annual auditing of WMGs, BWDB through Directorate of Audit (DOA) has conducted audits in 87 WMGs under Phase-1. The sex-disaggregated WMO database 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.