An application of the participatory approach to develop an integrated water resources management (IWRM) system for the drought-affected region of Bangladesh

Abstract

In many cases, poor management of water supplies is to blame for a crisis. Scholars and practitioners have proposed developing enhanced modalities of water governance that promote the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) to meet the interconnected problems of assuring access to sustainable water supplies for the world's populations. Therefore, this research aims to do two things: 1) evaluate the current status of water and related resources, and 2) create an operational decision-support system for the sustainable use of water resources based on integrated water resources management (IWRM). Beneficiaries are involved in all stages of the planning process, from the first brainstorming to the final evaluation. There hasn't been anything quite like these kinds of efforts before because they do not actively include community groups and government agencies in project design and money distribution. Matching water resources with various users (farmers, fisherman, women, and others) and their agriculture and fisheries development requirements was the focus of this study, which took an integrated participatory approach. Therefore, water management agencies are established through participatory water management. Beneficiaries realized that collective action results in the empowerment of all community members through capacity building and participatory water management. Because of this plan, agricultural progress in the area under consideration will proceed smoothly.