Barind Multipurpose Development Authority Research Articles

Application of double lifting method for river water irrigation in the water stressed Barind Tract of northwest Bangladesh

Groundwater has become the prime source of drinking and irrigation use in drought-prone Barind Tract (BT) of Bangladesh as the surface water sources are minimal. Continuous groundwater withdrawals for irrigation, drinking, domestics, industries and other uses deplete groundwater levels (GWL). So, the study aims to compute the quantity of river water extracted for irrigation by double lifting and rubber dam irrigation systems of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) in BT area and evaluate their impacts on reducing groundwater exploitation. To carry out the study, bore log lithology, rainfall, GWL, and water irrigation data have been collected from BMDA and field investigation and analyzed the Groundwater depletion due to over-extraction than the potential recharge, lower rainfall than the national average, and thick top clay that limits the natural recharge. Lifted water by the pumps of 11 pontoons placed on the river Padma (Ganges), Mohanonda, and Atrai can reduce 7.08% of groundwater extraction for irrigation in the study area. Groundwater exploitation for Puthia Upazila can be reduced by 10.11% with conserved water upstream of the rubber dam constructed in the Barnai river. Also, a continuous rise in GWL was observed due to storing of river water at a 4 km long section by the rubber dam.

Opportunities and challenges for implementing managed aquifer recharge models in drought-prone Barind tract, Bangladesh

This study focuses on the Barind tract, a drought prone area situated in the north-west region of Bangladesh where inadequate rainfall and limited surface water have created high dependence on groundwater for irrigation and other purposes, leading to significant declines in groundwater level. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) offers a potential solution to restore groundwater levels. This study sets out to identify the opportunities and challenges for implementing MAR in the Barind tract. To accomplish this aim, different data sets including bore log lithology, rainfall, groundwater levels, information about re-excavated ponds, dighis, kharies, beels, check dams, rubber dams, dug wells and other necessary information were collected from the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and other sources and analyzed. Major opportunities for MAR are identified for about 2000 km of re-excavated kharies (canals) containing about 750 check dams, more than 3000 re-excavated ponds, a number of beels (comparatively large marshes) and other water bodies which are used to conserve runoff storm water for supplementary irrigation. The conserved water can be used for groundwater recharge and subsequently abstracted for irrigation. Furthermore, roof-top rain water from buildings can also be used for groundwater recharge purposes. In contrast, the major challenges include the high turbidity of storm water runoff leading to clogging of MAR structures, inadequacy of conventional direct surface methods of recharge due to the presence of a 15 m or more thick upper clay layer with limited percolation capacity, and lack of practical knowledge on MAR. Therefore, overcoming the challenges for MAR application is a prerequisite to maximize the opportunities from MAR that can support the sustainable use of groundwater resources.

Application of modified managed aquifer recharge model for groundwater management in drought-prone water-stressed Barind Tract, Bangladesh

The core challenge of Barind Tract (BT), located in the northwest region of Bangladesh, is to make water available for agricultural, drinking, domestic, and other uses and ultimately for the survival of flora and fauna. Over extraction of groundwater for irrigation, less rainfall, fewer sources of surface water, high temperature, and thick top clay that limits the natural recharge are the major causes of continuous depletion of groundwater level (GWL) in the BT, which demands managed aquifer recharge (MAR) technique as the modified form matching with the lithology as well as the aquifer condition of the area. So, the study aimed to design, construct a recharge well (RW) and a water filtration unit as a specific MAR method to evaluate their performance for groundwater recharging through rooftop rainwater harvesting in the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) Mohanpur office campus, Rajshahi under the BT region. In this view, necessary data and information like rainfall, GWL, lithology, and other information related to the study were collected from the BMDA Mohanpur office and field investigation. Lithological samples of the Mohanpur office campus were collected through drilling arrangement, and grain sizes of the aquifer samples were analyzed in the laboratory, then designed the RW and installed at the BMDA Mohanpur office campus accordingly. A water filtration unit was designed considering the average maximum daily rainfall. Rooftop rain waters were collected from the office building and a training shed near the uPVC pipeline, filtered through the sand-gravel filtration media of the filtration unit, and finally recharged to the groundwater through RW. GWL fluctuation of the observation well (OW) installed near the RW was monitored using Auto Water Level Recorder (AWLR). Performances were evaluated based on groundwater recharge, GWL fluctuation with the rainfall, and quality of water. The study found that groundwater recharging occurred significantly, groundwater level rose when rainwater was infiltrated into the groundwater, and water quality parameters remained within the acceptable limit for drinking use according to standards like Bangladesh Drinking Water Standard (2005) and WHO (2008).

Assessment of Gender Priority on Groundwater Utilization in Northwestern Bangladesh

The present study was undertaken to find out gender-specific priorities in groundwater utilization for crop production and domestic uses, and also to identify various problems and constraints faced in groundwater utilization. A total of 60 farm households were selected randomly for empirical investigation from two northwestern districts of Bangladesh. Among these selected households, both husband and wife were interviewed separately. Both descriptive and econometric (logistic regression) analyses were performed. Groundwater is the main source of irrigation and household water and it is supplied by both public and private enterprises. The availability of water is scarce in the study location hence people use irrigation water for most of their domestic activities. Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (state-run) operated tube wells that contributed 87% of the domestic water uses in the study area. Logistic regression results confirm that priorities of groundwater utilization vary across gender. Females have a greater preference for domestic uses of groundwater while males have a preference for crop irrigation. One of the major factors of preference variation is that female has to spent a good amount of time in fetching water for domestic uses. Water management policies should consider these utilization preferences to avoid extra burden on women in fetching water from away. The study suggests better institutional arrangements for groundwater availability for crop production and domestic uses towards ensuring food security and health benefits.

Governance status in water management institutions in Barind Tract, Northwest Bangladesh: an assessment based on stakeholder’s perception

In Bangladesh, the approach of water sector emphasises on the agenda like infrastructural development to meet the needs, neglecting governance issues in the water management institutions (WMIs) to achieve their sustainable development. However, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) is committed to work for SDG 2030 by addressing good governance issues in all sphere of its activities. In this context, present study is undertaken to assess the existing water governance status of the WMIs like the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA); the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB); the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE); and the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) as government agencies; and Development Association for Self-reliance, Communication and Health (DASCOH) is a non-government and non-profit organization selected purposively based on their activities in water sector in the drought-prone water scarce Barind Tract in the north-western part of country. The methodology for governance status assessment includes both quantitative and qualitative approaches; and eight indicators like institutions, transparency, accountability, participation, social equity, environmental integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness are taken into consideration where each indicator includes five sub-indicators. Considering individual performance, the assessment indicated that DASCOH Foundation performs ‘good’, BMDA and LGED show ‘moderate’, while BWDB and DPHE exhibited ‘bad’ performance. However, the overall governance status of WMIs falls under ‘moderate’ category. This result indicates that BWDB and DPHE should look into the governance issue seriously and take a rigorous action plan for its scaling up. On the other hand, BMDA and LGED should be careful about the indicators like transparency, accountability, participation, and social equity. The DASCOH Foundation is performing well by introducing noble concepts to institutionalise the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) under BWA (2013). Finally, there exist gap in governance issues of WMIs in coordination, technical capacity, and transparency in project selection, implementation, and citizen’s participation which should be considered seriously in managing water resources in sustainable manner.

Environmental Challenges and the Measures Taken by the BMDA for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment in the Barind Tract, North-West of Bangladesh

Barind Tract, located in the North-West region of Bangladesh is a drought prone water stressed area. Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has made this desert like zone into a granary one through various activities including irrigation as major. Now, the agricultural pattern, cropping intensity, methods of cultivation, crop variety and yields – all show a positive change. The BMDA has significant impacts of reducing environmental impact as well as changing the living standard and socio-economic conditions of the rural people in Barind Tract. The present study aims to find out the environmental challenges faced by the farmers in the Barind Tract and the mitigation measures took by the BMDA as a large development partner for the sustainable development in the Barind Tract. As on environmental issue respondent in Puthia, Paba and Godagari zones identifies that low rainfall, extraction of ground water by DTWs (Deep Tubewells) and STWs (Shallow Tubewells), very thin flow of water in the rivers and also losses of groundwater from the aquifer to the river as base flow during dry season are the major causes of the scarcity of ground water in the Barind Tract. Droughts, high temperatures, less rainfalls, cyclones and thunderstorms and lightning also have been identified by respondents as the natural hazards affect their crop production and daily livelihood. To reduce the environmental challenges, no more new DTWs are being installed by BMDA (though private initiatives are still going on), emphasize on using more surface water from rivers and canals through low lift pumps, community based tree plantation programs in the project area, use renewable energy produced by solar panels and re-excavate canals and ponds for conservation of surface water. This study suggests that scientific assessment of groundwater resources with zoning for proper planning, increase augmentation of surface water as well as harvesting of rain water, crop zoning, increase cultivation of low water consuming crops and enhance groundwater recharge are now the demand of time for the study area.

IWRM Approaches in Water Resources Management Activities of BMDA, Barind Tract of Bangladesh: ABlooming Effort

Barind Tract of Bangladesh, located in its North-West region is a drought prone water stressed area facing serious setback in water management for agriculture, drinking, domestic and other uses. Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has been working relentlessly to overcome such hostile situation introducing, devising and adopting various techniques, methods and technologies in an integrated way since 1986. So, the aim of present study is to discuss the attemptsand find the impacts of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) activities taken by BMDA for groundwater and surface water augmentation, rainwater harvesting, drinking water supply and irrigation water management. In this view necessary data and information related to the water resources development and managementactivities were collected from BMDA, field investigation and other sources and analyzed them. The study finds that due to IWRM approaches in water resources augmentation and management activities of BMDA, rainfall dependent single cropped land has been converted multi cropped land, water losses have been reduced, rural people are getting potable drinking water and the desert like Barind Tract area has been converted into a granary one. Attention needs to be given to augment and use more surface water as well as rainwater and maintain the irrigation and drinking water infrastructures on a regular basis for sustainable crop production, drinking and other uses of water.

Participatory Irrigation Management: Barind Model a New Sustainable Initiative

During the past 20 years, substantial efforts were made to improve irrigation Management-Operation & Maintenance (MOM) through introduction of participatory irrigation management (PIM). PIM proved generally successful on small and medium schemes but it has yielded limited results on large schemes. Stakeholder engagement in irrigation system shapes hydrosocial territories: (1) by reducing tension between stakeholders, (2) by redirecting regional planning and strategy, (3) by highlighting water crises, (4) by decentralizing water responsibilities and (5) by integrating values and beliefs from different stakeholders (Sandra Ricart, et.al, 2018). Privatization started to become politically fashionable in the late 1980. In this context privatization means off-loading government ownership or responsibility for operation into the private sector, either to the farmers themselves or to an intermediate private subcontractor. But is it just a means of off-loading responsibility from a government line management system that can't cope, or is it really to benefit the farmers? (Adrian Laycock, 2011). Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) is an autonomous authority. The BMDA does not require external finance and sustainable finance to operate the irrigation project. There are around 16,000 deep tube wells and surface lift pumps covering around 0.6 million hectares (round the year) under BMDA management. BMDA is managed by a board chaired by an appointee of the government. There are three other members representatives from farmers including other relevant department's representatives. BMDA has introduced innovative concept for prepayment for water; this was started using a system of using electronic prepaid meters. There are no formal WUOs established instead keeps a very close liaison with the farmers and the communities through their field offices, this approach appears to be effective. The chief executive of a successful irrigation project should have a clear idea about people, land and water.

Drought adaptation measures and their effectiveness at Barind Tract in northwest Bangladesh: a perception study

Drought is a natural calamity frequently occurs at Barind Tract in northwest Bangladesh and affects both the human and natural life. An initiative has been taken to investigate the drought adaptation scenario practicing in Barind Tract as well as their effectiveness according to farmers’ perception. This study is mainly based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire by surveying the farming households from ten unions of three districts in western Barind. Farmers’ perception about the effectiveness of adaptation measures has been measured using a five-point Likert scale. An indexing formula is developed to rank those measures based on their effectiveness level. The study found that several numbers of adaptation measures are practicing in Barind Tract that can be grouped into two classes: (1) adaptation measures implemented by farmers and (2) adaptation measures implemented by the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). Maximum measures implemented by farmers are mainly agriculture and economic activities oriented, although most of the farmers are not able to undertake proper adaptation measure by their own initiative due to lack of capacity. On the other hand, BMDA’s adaptation approaches are mainly related to development of irrigation, livelihood, food security, and environmental protection. Most of these approaches are found effective, according to farmers’ opinion. A few are found not effective mainly due to poor management and implementation. No linear relationship exists between socioeconomic characteristics of farmers and their perceptions regarding effectiveness of the measures. Exploitation of groundwater is found as the major challenge regarding future drought management. Surface water harvesting and lowering the dependency on groundwater might be the potential solution.

Contribution of Rainwater to the Irrigation Requirement for Paddy Cultivation at Tanore Upazila in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Groundwater extraction for irrigation in Bangladesh has caused groundwater depletion, especially in the Northern region. As such, shifting reliance from groundwater to surface water is one of the solutions to mitigate this problem. This study aims at investigating the contribution of effective rainfall to the total consumptive use requirement of rice cultivated in Tanore, Rajshahi, in Bangladesh. The prospect of rainwater harvesting using ponds and its contribution to the consumptive use requirement of rice was also determined. Effective rainfall, temperature, monthly percentage of bright sunshine hours, and consumptive use factor for rice data were collected from Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). Blaney-Criddle method was used to calculate total consumptive use requirement of rice. Analysis results showed that from June to September, there is no requirement of irrigation due to high rainfall in this period. It was revealed that total consumptive use requirement of rice in Tanore averaged at 436 million m3 of water between the period of 2005 and 2012. Effective rainfall contributed to about 38% of the total consumptive use in this period. It was also found that another 5% of the total consumptive use requirement could be supplied by rainwater harvesting using the ponds of Tanore.

Life Cycle Cost and Energy Consumption Behavior of Submersible Pumps Using in the Barind Area of Bangladesh

Abstract In this work the ground water level and water pumping for irrigation and drinking purposes in Barind area of Bangladesh have been studied. The depth of ground water level remains under 30 ft throughout the year that enforcing the use of submersible pumps in most parts of Barind zone. The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and Rajshahi WASA are the major water supplying authority in the Northern Part of Bangladesh by using 14386 and 87 nos of submersible pumps, respectively. An investigation for the values of life cycle cost elements of submersible pumps has also been carried out. The performance of the pumps running in different sites in Barind area were investigated and compared with the lab test results of new pumps. Energy consumption cost is dominating the life cycle cost of the pumps using in Barind region and improper matching of pump standard running conditions and operation/system requirements are the main causes of lower efficiency. It is found that the efficiency of the running pumps is reduced by 20 – 40% than that of lab test results.

Groundwater Depletion with Expansion of Irrigation in Barind Tract: A Case Study of Tanore Upazila

In this paper successive depletion of groundwater level with expansion of groundwater irrigation in Barind Tract has been discussed from mid 1960s to 2010 in the context of Tanore Upazila, which is located in severely drought prone area of northwest Bangladesh. After starting of groundwater irrigation in Bangladesh, it spread rapidly all over the country, and about 80% of agricultural land is now supplied irrigation from groundwater. Availability of irrigation in Barind Tract has revolutionized its agriculture, but groundwater level is successively falling all over the country due to excessive withdrawal, and this process is accelerating due to water withdrawal from major rivers by upstream countries. In northwestern part of Bangladesh groundwater depletion problem is severe because this part is free from seasonal flooding. Only source of recharging of groundwater aquifer in this area is rainfall, but rainfall is also lowest here among the country. In this context, this paper presents the change of groundwater level with the spreading of groundwater irrigation in Barind Tract. Hydrograph analysis, groundwater level mapping, groundwater depletion rate calculation are done from groundwater level observation well data of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). Climatic condition is analyzed by calculation of rainfall deviation from the data of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD). Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and interviews with farmers and experts of different branches are conducted to understand the nature of problems in the study area. Agricultural pattern, cropping intensity (262% in study area and national intensity is 180%), methods of cultivation, crop variety and yields all show a positive change after starting of groundwater irrigation in mid 1980s, but water level is continuously lowering at the rate of 1.37 ft/y in wet season and 0.72 ft/y in dry season. Water is the main input for agriculture but successive depletion of groundwater level can be a serious problem for water stressed Barind Tract. Crop diversification, artificial recharging, increasing dependency on surface water, increasing irrigation efficiency, rainwater harvesting etc., can be option for the area.

Lithological Study and Mapping of Barind Tract Using Borehole Log Data with GIS: In the Context of Tanore Upazila

In this paper the lithological study and mapping of Barind Tract is done by using irrigation boreholes log data in the context of an upazila under Barind Tract in northwest Bangladesh. Northwestern part of Bangladesh is severely drought prone area with lowest yearly rainfall in the country. Before groundwater irrigation only one crop was cultivated in this area in rainy season. After spreading of groundwater irrigation agriculture is flourished here, but groundwater level is severely going down, which is making this area risky for several adverse effect like land subsidence, biodiversity loss etc. Lithology is one of the important factors that affect the recharging of groundwater aquifer of any area. This research mainly based on secondary data. Irrigation boreholes log data are collected from Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), a local authority under the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh government provide irrigation in Barind Tract. A GPS survey is conducted to locate the boreholes in the study area. From the study highest thickness of clay layer found 90 ft and lowest 20 ft, and thickness gradually increase from eastern to western side. Aquifer is located between 20 - 90 ft depth from the surface and direction of aquifer is western to eastern side. Agriculture of study area is totally dependent on groundwater irrigation. Thick layer of clay impede recharging of groundwater table. Due to thick layer of sticky and plastic clay land subsidence risk is low, but it act as aquitard which impede groundwater recharging and increase surface runoff.

A Case Study of Grid Connected Solar PV Irrigation System in Semi-Arid Region of Bangladesh

The semi-arid region of Bangladesh is called the Barind tract lies roughly between latitudes 24°20´N and 25°35´N and longitudes 88°20´E and 89°30´E and covered an area of 7728 km 2 . This region has already been designated as drought prone. So this region experiences extremes that are clearly in contrast to the climatic condition of the rest of the country. To combat the extreme conditions of climate for sustainable agricultural development a special authority has been formed named ‘Barind Multipurpose Development Authority’ (BMDA). Under the BMDA activities an irrigation project has been launched since decades. Under this project irrigation facilities are provided for agricultural cultivation at this semi arid region. The total number of deep tube well installed so far under the BMDA irrigation project is 11,967 and the total demand of electricity is 277 MW. The project experiences frequent grid power outage, including lowvoltage problems and load shedding, and encourages off-peak hour irrigation (after 11:00 pm). To overcome this problem a grid connected solar PV system is proposed in the Barind tract. A techno-economic feasibility analysis is done for 500 kW grid connected solar photovoltaic (PV) system for this location. HOMER and RETScreen computer tools and monthly average solar radiation data from NASA is used in this study. The unit electricity production cost is found to be 14.51 BDT (Bangladeshi Taka) based on project lifetime 20 years and 10% discount rate. Considering the selling price of electricity 10 BDT/kWh with 5% escalation rate annually to the grid, the IRR, equity payback and benefit-cost ratio are found to be around 5.6%, 13.1 years and 0.68 respectively without considering any clean energy facilities. The total annual greenhouse gas reduction is estimated to be 658 tons for 500 kW grid system.

Study on the irrigation water distribution system developed by Barind Multipurpose Development Authority

Irrigated agriculture has been playing a vital role for the growth in crop production in Bangladesh. Minor irrigation comprising of shallow tubewells (STWs), deep tubewells (DTWs), hand tubewells (HTWs) and low-lift pumps (LLPs) is a major irrigation system in the country. Poor performance of irrigation is an issue for the expansion of irrigated area. The present study was carried out to examine the conveyance efficiency and rate of irrigation water loss in DTW schemes in Bogra, Thakurgaon and Godagari zones of Barind Management Development Authority. There were various types of water distribution identified in these schemes with including Poly Venyl Chloride (PVC) buried pipe, cement concrete (CC) rectangular, Ferro trapezoidal, Ferro semicircular and rectangular earth drain. The average conveyance efficiency of PVC buried pipe for Bogra, Thakurgaon and Godagari zones ranged from 94.46% to 95.37% and rate of water loss ranged from 5.45% to 9.55% in three study zones. Average conveyance efficiency of CC rectangular for Bogra and Godagari zone ranged from 91.20% and rate of water loss from 6.58% to 9.93%. Average conveyance efficiency of Ferro trapezoid for Bogra and Godagari zone ranged from 87.80% to 90.06% and rate of water loss ranged from 9.94% to 12.21%. Average conveyance efficiency of Ferro semicircle for Bogra and Godagari zone ranged between 88.13% and 86.82% and rate of water loss between 11.59% and 11.68%. Average conveyance efficiency and rate of water loss of rectangular earth drain Godagari zone was 58.66% and 42.29% respectively. About 80% farmers recommended buried pipe irrigation system and about 20% semi-circular channel. The study suggests that the improved water distribution system as developed by BMDA is sustainable to increase productivity of irrigation systems in Bangladesh. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbayr.v1i2.10032