Accepted Papers - 3.pdf - UNESCO

of 2 Mha with average yield of even 1 ton/ha, the
country may remain self-sufficient in food grain.
With available water resources, its management and
technical knowledge, it is possible to introduce a
second crop in the coastal area, which may produce
more than three ton/ha. Water conservation through
storage of excess rainwater during the monsoon and
surface flow in the existing low areas, canals and
smaller rivers has been proved possible. Proper use
of the stored water for irrigating the second crop
during the winter/dry season, fate of the coastal
people can be changed. Excavation of ponds and
re-excavation of existing canals will increase storage
capacity for subsequent use of water for household
uses and irrigating the second crop. New ponds and
re-excavated canals can also be used for fish
cultivation. Fish cultivation alone in the ponds and
re-excavated canals will be cost effective (Personal
communication with fishery experts). Irrigation
from these additional water bodies during dry season
and supplemental irrigation in the wet season will
provide added benefit. Appropriate methodology for
conjunctive use of water and multiple uses (ricefish
cultivation) in the storage facilities can be
determined through water management related
research. Integrated water management in the polder
area can also contribute significantly in increasing
agricultural production in the coastal area.
Hill Tracts
Hill tracts cover about 1.94 Mha of which only
about 0.34 Mha is net cultivated area (NCA), has
unique water availability and land topographic
conditions. This area comes under the EH (Eastern
Hills) of Hydrological Regions. Hill slopes can be
brought under fruits, vegetables and fodder
cultivation. Plain lands can be used for suitable crop
production and low lands and riverbeds can be used
for fish cultivation through appropriate water
conservation and fish production practices.
Initiatives of water conservation have started in this
region with rubber dams and are proved to be
successful. However, all these innovative practices
should be developed through beneficiary
participation and provision of operation and
maintenance and cost recovery. This approach can
be expanded to other hilly areas of Chittagong,
Sylhet, and Comilla districts.
480
Flood Plains
Flood plain area in this paper covers most part
of the central flood plain and remaining area of the
coastal belt where saline water inundation is rare.
With reference to the Hydrological Regions, NE,
NC and part of SW and SC falls under this category.
Annual floods affect this area and FCDI facilities
have been created for saving lives and properties of
the people. Multiple uses of the FCDI facilities will
facilitate improved water management and
integrated agricultural production in flood plains.
On an average, about 22 percent of Bangladesh
is flooded annually (FPCO 1995). In the eastern
regions, flash floods are hazards in the early summer
and cause extensive damage to the Boro 3 rice crop.
In coastal areas, tidal floods and cyclone surges
cause damage to the lives and properties of coastal
area people. Moreover, when the peak flows of the
Ganges and Brahmaputra coincides, as they did in
1988, about 60% of the country is inundated.
Therefore, the country needs some type of
infrastructure for minimizing flood damages and
creating favorable environment for agricultural
development.
River Basin Management Approach
On an average, the country receives annual
rainfall of about 200 cm, almost 90% of it is during
the monsoon. Rainfall and surface water if
accumulated will result to a water body of about
7.5 meters depth over the country if not flowing to
the Bay of Bengal. But the country faces water
shortage during November to May every year due
to uneven distribution of river flows and rainfall.
Most of the Northwest and Southwest regions
become dry especially during March to May. Rivers
in these areas become dead during this part of the
year and become alive with onset of monsoon.
Rivers in the central area and eastern part of
Bangladesh have better access to water due to tidal
flows from the Bay of Bengal at least during high
tides. In this paper, approaches have been suggested
to keep rivers in Atrai and Baral basins (Figure 1)
alive for the whole year through improved
management (Atrai and Baral basin is selected as
examples for improvement through water
harvesting). This will further assist in incremental
crop and fish production. Healthy rivers in Atrai
and Baral basins will contribute to creation of water