Irrigation Development in Bangladesh

Abstract

Its location at the confluence of two of the world’s biggest rivers, and its 80 in (2,000 mm) annual monsoon rainfall, make Bangladesh one of the wettest countries on earth. Irrigation is still required, however, to permit increased cropping during the dry winter season. Temperatures during this period are high enough, and there are enough good soils to support a goal of 5,000,000 acres (2,000,000 ha) to be irrigated by 1978. Excellent aquifers underlie more than half the country at depths less than 300 ft (100 m) and, elsewhere, surface water sources abound in the form of streams, slough, and rivers. There is now a very clear need for creative engineering to identify engineering approaches which will be more appropriate in terms of technology, economics, and sociology. This paper presents the problem, underlines its complexity, invites suggestions as to possible solution, and requests information regarding specifications, performance, and cost of techniques in similar situations elsewhere.