Integrated Water Resources Management: From Policy to Practice through a Comprehensive National Water Management Plan

Abstract

Water is central to the way of life in Bangladesh and the single most important resource for the well-being of its people. It sustains an extremely fragile natural environment and provides livelihood to millions of people. Bangladesh is the terminal floodplain delta of three large rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, with over 90% of their catchment areas situated outside the country. Water management in Bangladesh is further complicated by high population density and expanding economic activities which severely adversely affect its rich and vulnerable ecosystems. The orientation of all water sector development schemes to this time has been almost exclusively aimed at achieving the goal of increased agricultural production in order to achieve national food security. The National Water Management Plan is intended to identify the needs and priorities for water resources management, the institutional structure through which these resources should be managed, and the process through which both institutional reform and priority interventions can be realized.