The government has initiated a new project for surface water irrigation. To that end it has launched a new fund to support technological development for using surface water in irrigation countrywide instead of using underground water for that purpose. For the innovation of technology on how to use surface water efficiently for irrigation the Access to Information (A2I) Programme has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). They combined launched the Taka 12.5 million programme and said that the size of the fund will be increased on demand.

The challenge fund will support innovation of technologies for surface water irrigation in five certain areas including chars, drought-prone, saline-affected, and hilly and haor areas of the country. For submitting the individual proposal on surface water irrigation technology the A2I had set September 30, 2017 as the deadline. Each of the selected proposals will be implemented with an amount of Taka 250 thousand.

It is to be noted that every year the layer of underground water in the country is receding by 5 meters. The excessive use of ground water during the IRRI-Boro season is increasing the risk of desertification in the northern region of the country. The A2I Director General pointed out that the excessive use of groundwater is risking the agro-ecology of the entire arable land of the country. The country’s 78.0 percent underground water is being used for irrigating 7.1 million hectares of land out of total arable land of 8.5 million hectares countrywide.

It was observed that the country’s food security would be more sustainable if we can bring at least 200 thousand hectares of arable land under surface water irrigation. The Agriculture Ministry maintains that the country has abundant surface water in water bodies of 72 thousand square kilometers. But the country has no efficient technology to use the surface water for irrigation. The BADC cautioned that the process of desertification countrywide would accelerate if we continue to use groundwater for irrigation and other purposes.    In addition, we may remember that in view of the water crunch in dry season in the country, to meet the irrigation need, a reservoir project was mulled over to store rain water for irrigation.

But today we no longer hear much about using this source of possible stored rain water. May be the project has either been suspended sine a die or abandoned. In fact we have a load of troubles over water in the country. As for instance, our groundwater level is constantly falling as said above. So it calls for use of surface water which is also in short supply. A suitable answer to this problem is the rain water harvest and its reuse.

The Dhaka City Development Agency (DCDA) is bringing about changes in the existing building code making reuse of rain water mandatory according to a report published in an English daily news paper a few months back. We hail the idea of reusing rain water thus to meet the need of surface water. Let not the move go into futility. As the proposed rain water reservoir project in the past became uncertain, the experts are of the opinion that it is high time that reuse of rain water should be made mandatory in Dhaka city and elsewhere in the country. Due to heavy population pressure Dhaka’s groundwater level has fallen drastically. And the move is an effort to replenish the city’s groundwater level and encourage use of alternative sources.

But making law is not enough if not implemented in right earnest. To get the desired result the technical aspects to that end must also be implemented comprehensively. The relevant authorities in this respect ware expected to have a final draft ready within a short time. The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakha (RAJUK) officials believed that the rain water collection plans would be made mandatory by the year-end of 2017. But no follow up of the effort was noticed.

It is understable that the implementation of such a scheme is a difficult task to be done. The RAJUK has to play a key role in installing the system of rain water harvest at over 300 thousand buildings existing in Dhaka city.

To get the nod for the design of the buildings will need to incorporate rain water harvesting and groundwater recharging procedures into their design. Old building owners will have to consult the “space and design” experts and make new arrangements. There is no denying the fact that the city of Dhaka has become very vulnerable to cataclysm like tremor. The fall in groundwater level may add further to the risks the city is exposed to such problem. Therefore, the move for rain water harvest is a timely approach in the right direction. The convenient aspect of implementing such a project is that the technology to materialise the project is not too advanced nor is it too expensive. What we actually need is just the drive to implement it.  In addition to irrigation, rain water can be collected to a reservoir and can be used for household chores. Some of it can also be transferred to soil reserves.

The two pilot projects successfully operating at Fine Arts Faculty and Zahurul Haque Hall of the University of Dhaka amply proves that the project is viable and can be expanded nationwide. The government and the relevant authorities together with private concerns may take note of it also and take advantage of the experience to improve the supply of surface water in the country to ease or eliminate pressure on groundwater.

The writer is a retired Professor of Economics, BCS General

Education Cadre