Northwestern Region Of Bangladesh Research Articles

An insight into the epidemiology of foodborne zoonotic fascioliasis in small ruminants in northwestern region of Bangladesh.

Fascioliasis is one of the most common foodborne zoonotic infection of ruminants in Bangladesh. To estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of fascioliasis and extent of liver damage, 825 livers of sheep and goats were randomly inspected during onsite slaughterhouse visiting in Naogaon, Natore, Rajshahi and Joypurhat districts. The overall prevalence of fascioliasis was 25.09% and significantly (P = 0.008) higher in goats (26.11%) than sheep (24.00%). During gross inspection, Fasciola infected livers were increased in size, fibrosed, fatty, multiple white or reddish necrotic foci on the parietal surface, hard to cut, calcified, and numerous mature and immature flukes were also observed. In histoarchitecture, inflammatory cell infiltration in the hepatic parenchyma and periportal area, fibrous connective tissue proliferation around necrotic area, hyperplastic bile duct, congestion, and primary biliary cirrhosis were seen in acute and chronic fascioliasis. Epidemiological investigations revealed that fascioliasis was higher in goats than sheep. Age, sex, BCS and season were found to have statistically significant associations with fascioliasis in goats. In case of sheep, age (OR = 5.8671; 95% CI: 2.9482-11.6757, P < 0.0001), sex (OR = 3.7317; 95% CI: 1.9052-7.3094, p < 0.0001), BCS (OR = 6.0346; 95% CI: 1.7986-20.2472, p < .0001), and season (OR = 8.2308; 95% CI: 3.9922-16.9693, p = < .0001) were also found to have statistically significant associations with fascioliasis. Results of the study can help for molecular epidemiology of fascioliasis in small ruminants to plan fluke control programs for safe food production.

Water-Saving Cropping Pattern as A Strategy to Combat Climate Change Effects and Sustain Groundwater Resource in The Dry, North-Western Region of Bangladesh

Increased groundwater use in the Barind area during the last few decades has caused serious groundwater level decline, decreased pump discharge and hence increased irrigation cost, and many associated hydrological problems which have become the biggest threat to sustainable agricultural production under climate change situation. The aims of this research were (i) to identify optimum/water-saving irrigation schedule of possible crops of different seasons, and (ii) yearly total yield and irrigation need assessment of different crop rotations to identify water-saving crop rotation. Field experiments were conducted for three consecutive years at four locations with four new cropping patterns, intervening non-rice crops (wheat, mustard, lentil) as well as natural rainfall matching ‘Aus rice’ crop. Irrigation water savings and economic benefits of each cropping pattern were evaluated. The results revealed that cultivation of non- rice crops instead of irrigation-intensive ‘Boro rice’ along with efficient irrigation schedule can reduce a substantial amount (48 - 58%) of irrigation demand along with higher economic benefits (both net profit and Benefit Cost Ratio). The findings of this research will help to plan management decisions to combat the declining trend of groundwater table, as well as the consequences of climate change and drought.

Assessment of remote sensing-based indices for drought monitoring in the north-western region of Bangladesh

Drought is a widespread hazard that can tremendously affect the biodiversity, habitat of wild species, and ecosystem functioning and stability, especially in the dry region. Due to its geographic location, the north-western region of Bangladesh has a comparatively arid climate which is very much susceptible to drought occurrence and is marked as a red zone. Despite the growing evidence of the impact of drought on food security and ecosystem functioning, little effort has been paid to mitigate the drought in this region. The present study aimed to assess the drought condition of the north-western region of Bangladesh using earth observation techniques. For this purpose, Landsat data from 1990 to 2020 was used to determine various vegetation indices such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Water Index (NDWI), Moisture Index (NDMI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), along with Land Surface Temperature (LST). Results show that the depletion of forests (2832 km2) and water bodies (6773 km2) resulted from the expansion of settlement (6563 km2) and agricultural land (1802 km2) for the period 1990–2020. Examination of the temporal changes of vegetation indices and LST showed that the values of all indices decreased while the LST increased. The negative correlation between NDVI value and LST indicates that the vegetation in our study was subject to drought-induced shocks. This study reveals the current situation of the vegetation health in the north-western region of Bangladesh in relation to the drought conditions. The findings of this study have practical implications for the policymakers in implementing necessary measures for agriculture, forests, water development, and economic zone planning.

Potential application of GIS and remote sensing to evaluate suitable site for livestock production in Northwestern part of Bangladesh

The livestock resources of Bangladesh are under tremendous strain due to several natural and anthropogenic causes. Especially in the Northwestern region of Bangladesh, these resources are more vulnerable to deterioration resulting from human actions, a lack of environmental and rangeland legislation, climate change, drought, poor management, and inadequate disaster mitigation plans. GIS based multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and remote sensing techniques have been used in this research to locate ideal land for sheep, goats, buffalo and cow production. In this study, the suitability analysis for livestock production has been considered in eight thematic layers: slope, land use & land cover (LULC), soil types, rainfall, water accessibility, road distance, relative humidity, and average temperature. Besides, this research had been used geospatial tools for combining these eight geographical layers, whenanalytical hierarchy process, aMCDA approach helped tomeasure the weight of each criterion. The final map that is perfect for raising cattle has been divided into four categories, such as low, medium, high and excellent. Each of these rangeland suitability groups has portions in the Northwestern region of Bangladesh that fall into the following percentages: 11.14%, 26.07%, 35.27%, and 27.53%. This research also depicts that the western part of the study region, which includes Thakurgaon, Panchagar, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Joypurhat and Bogra has a low suitability index for livestock production while the eastern region, which includes Kurigram, Nilphamari, Pabna, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Sirajganj contributes to an excellent zone. The outcome of this study will be useful to identify the best places for livestock production in the Northwestern part of Bangladesh. Finally, this research may additionally assist government officials in creating environmental and rangeland strategies for the livestock population in the study area.

A combined GIS, remote sensing and MCDM approach to find potential location for rainwater harvesting structure in northwestern part of Bangladesh

There has been a fresh water shortage in the Northwestern portion of Bangladesh. Rainwater is one of the finest boons of the nature which can reduce this problem. To utilize the rainwater properly, it is highly needed to make rainwater harvesting (RWH) structure in these regions. The major goal of this study is to find optimal sites for RWH structures to fulfill meet the needs of fresh water demand in Northwestern region of Bangladesh, by employing a multiple-criteria decision making technique based on geographic information systems. Seven spatial parameters, including, rainfall, land use & land cover, slope, soil texture, road distance, drainage density, physiography were included in this study's site appropriateness analysis for RWH structures. The ultimate suitable map which is acceptable for installing RWH structure had been broken down into four categories such as excellent, good, medium and poor regions. The categories occupy the study area's territory in the following order: 21.94%, 59.57%, 15.93%, 2.16%. The study's excellent appropriateness rating for developing RWH structures includes the districts of Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Panchagar, and Nilphamari, while its low appropriateness index includes Pabna, Natore, Rajshahi, Nawabganj, Naogaon, Joypurhat, and Bogra. Last but not least, this research might also help policymakers, government officer to develop RWH structure in a suitable place to reduce the freshwater shortage problem.

Site suitability analysis for the construction of water reservoirs in drought‐prone areas of Bangladesh using geospatial techniques

AbstractDrought is becoming a common phenomenon in the northwestern (NW) region of Bangladesh. To address this problem, the government has taken multiple initiatives such as the construction of deep tube wells, re‐activation of abandoned deep tube wells, re‐excavation of canals, construction of cross dams, and digging wells to hold water during monsoon. However, the construction of medium‐ to large‐sized water reservoirs is somewhat overlooked or missed, which can hold large quantities of surface water and, at the same time, can recharge groundwater. Finding suitable sites for water reservoirs is a challenge. The present study aims to fulfill these gaps. We have applied a spatial multi‐criteria technique called the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to identify suitable sites for water reservoir construction in the drought‐prone NW region of Bangladesh. A total of 12 criteria such as settlement, land use, slope, soil, groundwater depth, road network, river network, vegetation cover, rainfall, geology, protected areas, and aquifer depth were selected. The study shows that 17 percent of the area is highly suitable for reservoir construction, followed by 24 percent moderately suitable and 25 percent marginally suitable. In contrast, approximately 30 percent of the area is unsuitable for reservoir construction. Among 16 districts of northwest region, areas of Rangpur district are mostly suitable (30 percent), followed by Gaibandha district (16 percent). Construction of water reservoir in the identified areas will lower irrigation water pumping costs and will raise groundwater levels in land adjacent to the reservoir in dry season.

Assessment of Remote Sensing Based Indices for Drought Monitoring in the North-Western Region of Bangladesh

Assessment of Remote Sensing Based Indices for Drought Monitoring in the North-Western Region of Bangladesh

Prevalence and Management Practices of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Cattle at Natore District of Bangladesh

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a potentially contagious viral disease in cattle, caused by the Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the family Poxviridae. The virus is suspected to spread via biological vectors such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and direct contact. It is a significant economic disease caused by a virus that causes significant losses in milk production, fertility, abortions, import restrictions, and, in some cases, death in the livestock animals. This study aimed to assess the current state of LSD and its management on several farms in the north-western region of Bangladesh. Data were obtained from two Upazilas in the Natore district (Natore Sadar and Baraigram) using a structured questionnaire. During the study period of 1 June to 20 December 2020, a total of 34 small farms and 87 animals were monitored. The OIE guidelines directed the diagnosis of LSD based on current clinical indicators. MS Excel and SPSS statistical software were used to evaluate all of the data. Morbidity, mortality, and case-fatality rates were found to be 64.70%, 2.94 %, and 4.53 % in Natore Sadar and 83.02 %, 3.77 %, and 4.55 % in Baraigram Upazilas, respectively. Female animals that were newly matured (2-4 years) were a larger prone to LSD infection (43.1%) than animals of other ages. A total of 34.43% illness was found in young bull cattle aged (2-4). Bull and heifer calves are also vulnerable populations, with reports of LSD infection leading to mortality. Limb swelling is a common clinical symptom, and LSD-positive young mature (2-4 year) cattle had the most significant rate (18.39%) of limb swelling. The farm hygiene practice is a critical determinant in the spread of LSDV, and a large proportion of cattle (48.27 %) infected with LSD were on farms with poor hygienic management, compared to good (01.14 %) and medium (01.14 %) hygienic management practices (26.43 %). Despite the fact that mosquito nets help prevent mosquitoes, most owners (91.17 %) did not use one in their cattle barn at night. More study is needed in Bangladesh to improve the clinical management of LSD, identify risk factors, and understand the molecular characteristics of diseases.

Challenges of Faith-Based NGO Intervention in Community Development: a Case Study in Bangladesh

The intervention of faith-based non-governmental organizations in the development area is no more an ignored topic due to their comprehensive coverage in humanitarian assistance, rise of global identity politics, and the changing ideological view of development donors and policymakers. However, such engagements are prone to criticisms. This paper aims to report the qualitative findings highlighting the strengths and challenges of faith-based non-governmental organizations in community development, based on a broader convergent parallel mixed-method study of the first author’s PhD work. The study was conducted in the north-western region of Bangladesh, where Islamic Relief Worldwide, a faith-based international non-governmental organization implemented the Action for Peoples’ Rights and Livelihood (APRIL) project for community development. Using a qualitative approach, this study gathered data from in-depth interviews of 11 participants, five focus groups, and 10 key informants. Results showed that faith-based non-governmental organizations made significant contributions in providing services to the ultra-poor without discrimination, offering flexible “pressure-free” loans, and developing a sense of community ownership. Within this spectrum, this study found a number of challenges in the community development efforts. These include (a) continuation of the provision of interest-free loans, (b) sustaining community-based organizations, (c) labeling of proselytization, and (d) deficient implementation mechanisms. Although this paper focuses on a faith-based non-governmental organization in Bangladesh, the findings have global implications, especially addressing the knowledge gap in the existing literature.

Assessment of drought disaster risk in Boro rice cultivated areas of northwestern Bangladesh

Drought risk has become a major threat for sustaining food security in Bangladesh; the particularly northwestern region of Bangladesh. The objective of the study is to assess drought disaster risk on Boro paddy cultivated areas of northwestern Bangladesh using drought disaster risk index (DDRI) model. The sensitivity of Boro paddy to droughts during crop-growing seasons and irrigation recoverability were employed to reflect vulnerability condition. Moreover, the threshold level of the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was applied to evaluate the drought hazard on Boro paddy cultivated areas in the northwestern region of Bangladesh. The probability density function (PDF) was used to show the threshold level of drought hazard. The results show that drought hazard is comparatively severe in Ishardi area compared to other northwestern regions of Bangladesh. The drought disaster risk is higher in Ishardi and Rajshahi areas than Rangpur and Dinajpur areas. Although Ishardi area is more prone to high drought risk, at the same time, the recoverability rate is also quicker than any other areas. The relationship between Boro rice yield rates and drought disaster risk is insignificant. The average Boro yield rates during the period of 1976 to 2016 are 19% for Ishardi and Rajshahi areas, 20% for Rangpur and Dinajpur areas and 21% for Bogra respectively according to the total irrigation area. The outcomes of the study can aid to adopt drought condition under changing the climate and also provide guidance for future drought mitigation in the northwest region of Bangladesh.

Spatiotemporal distribution and prediction of groundwater level linked to ENSO teleconnection indices in the northwestern region of Bangladesh

This study aims to investigate spatiotemporal trends and magnitudes of groundwater level for the period of 1981–2017 in the northwestern region of Bangladesh and to predict the groundwater level changes from 2018 to 2025 through autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modeling. The study explores the relationship between groundwater level and El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection indices during 1981–2017 in the study area. Results of MMK (Modified Mann–Kendall) Z statistics showed a significant downward trend of groundwater level (p < 0.05), and the years 1994, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007 were the trend turning points of groundwater level depletion identified by Pettitt’s test. The overall decreasing rates of groundwater level vary from 0.1 to 1.3 (m/decade). Wavelet spectrum was employed to show the temporal distribution patterns of groundwater level, suggesting a prolonged drought period in Rangpur subregion of northwestern Bangladesh. The Pearson correlation and cross-correlation results revealed that there was a weak relation between ENSO indices and groundwater level due to less anthropogenic influence in the study area. The outcomes of ARIMA model were consistent with MMK test trend analysis which predicted a similar downward tendency of groundwater level from 2018 to 2025, indicating an alarming situation, especially for Rajshahi subregion (0.8 m/decade). Overall, all the test results indicate a strong concurrence relationship among them. The results of the study recommend the need for rainwater harvesting during monsoon season, multi-disciplinary groundwater researches and monitoring programs as measures for future sustainable groundwater management on northwestern Bangladesh.

Determinants of drought risk coping mechanisms among the farmers of Northern region of Bangladesh

Drought is a major constraint on agricultural production and livelihood in the north-western region of Bangladesh. An understanding of the effects of drought and farmers’ coping mechanisms is essential in designing technological and policy interventions for effective drought mitigation. The current study investigates the impacts of drought, examines farmers’ coping strategies for drought induced crop failure and the determinants of their mechanism choices by employing both quantitative and qualitative approach. Multiple data sources, including semi-structured interview survey with 218 randomly selected farmers; and four focus group discussions with farmers, local leaders, NGO workers, and government officials were used to capture various aspects of drought risks and coping practices. ‘Multinomial logit’ model was adopted to analyze the factors affecting the decision of coping strategies in response to drought. Results of farm household survey data indicates that the respondents experienced 3.15 droughts on an average in last five years which affected about 15 percent of their crop land and resulted more than 17 percent crop loss per year. Focus group discussions confirm that farmers followed various traditional ex ante and ex post coping strategies in order to avoid crop loss and minimize livelihood constraints. The coping mechanisms mostly adopted by farmers among others were borrowing money, cultivating less water consuming crops and cutting meals. Findings of multinomial logistic regression model reveal that the environment determinant of the choices of coping options was frequency of drought and main socio-economic determinants of coping choices were crop loss due to drought and land holding systems.&#x0D; J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 17(1): 58–64, March 2019

Regional Co-Operation and Economic Prosperity in South Asia: Challenges of Unfair Trade and Transboundary Deadlock

Summary Subject and purpose of work: The study attempts to examine the trade unfairness and transboundary bottlenecks between Bangladesh and India with a view to prosper a balanced trade and sustained water cooperation. Materials and methods: The study is based on secondary data and statistical information. Mixed research methods such as qualitative, quantitative and data visualization techniques are adopted in this study to assess the political economy of river basin management, loss and damage assessment and trade situation assessment. Results: Due to upstream intervention, the North-Western region of Bangladesh has lost 4254218 metric tons of rice production during 2006-2014 cropping years which value is $1036 million. During the same period, the trade deficit of Bangladesh stood at $5.58 billion with India due to the diverse tariff and non-tariff barriers which triggers tension between this close neighbor. Conclusions: The trade and water co-operation should be extended among the South Asian countries including India and Bangladesh without delay to obtain the maximum benefit and economic prosperity.

Morphological and Molecular characterization of rhizoctonia oryzae sativae in Bangladesh

Aggregate sheath spot disease of rice caused by Rhizoctonia oryzaesativae has emerged in higher incidence in North-Western region of Bangladesh. Thirty isolates of R. oryzae-sativae were studied by using morphological and molecular marker. Isolates were confirmed using specific primer where a single band of 1200bp was amplified. Two distinct groups relatively slow and faster were found in mycelal growth. Molecular characterization was done using four primers and DNA band ranged from 0.25 to 2.21 kb. A combined dendrogram was constructed which separated the isolates into three groups at 69.6% similarity level. All isolates placed in two major clusters except isolate RA-1 placed in cluster group III but were not grouped according to their geographic origins. Fast growing isolates have been placed in Group II while slow growing isolates in cluster group I. The similarity coefficient values of the dendrogram profile ranged from 0.36 to 0.98 with an average of 0.67. Diversity of different isolate showed that significant variation was present among the isolate and were not genetically identical.&#x0D; SAARC J. Agri., 16(2): 119-128 (2018)

Gender Violence: A Case in Rural Northwestern Region of Bangladesh

While the economy in Bangladesh is becoming more progressive socially, still there is enough room for advancement. In Bangladesh, women face several threats of violence which is the nature of patriarchal social system in Bangladesh. This study was, therefore, conducted to find out the gender inequalities at the household level, major gaps of gender violence, main causes and consequences of gender violence in northwestern region (Sirajganj) of Bangladesh. The research was both qualitative and quantitative in nature. For quantitative analysis, all respondents have been selected with 41 married women and men. Finding showed that dowry and financial problem was a major cause of domestic/household violence. Mental stress, reduced family income and poor family health were some of the consequences of gender violence. Therefore, it was recommended that there is need for education on family living, provision of guidance and counseling services to the affected population, and formulation of policies that helps to overcome violence.

Groundwater-dependent irrigation costs and benefits for adaptation to global change

The effects of a 1.5 °C global change on irrigation costs and carbon emissions in a groundwater-dependent irrigation system were assessed in the northwestern region of Bangladesh and examined at the global scale to determine possible global impacts and propose necessary adaptation measures. Downscaled climate projections were obtained from an ensemble of eight general circulation models (GCMs) for three representative concentration pathways (RCPs), RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 and were used to generate the 1.5 °C warming scenarios. A water balance model was used to estimate irrigation demand, a support vector machine (SVM) model was used to simulate groundwater levels, an energy-use model was used to estimate carbon emissions from the irrigation pump, and a multiple linear regression (MLR) model was used to simulate the irrigation costs. The results showed that groundwater levels would likely drop by only 0.03 to 0.4 m under a 1.5 °C temperature increase, which would result in an increase in irrigation costs and carbon emissions ranging from 11.14 to 148.4 Bangladesh taka (BDT) and 0.3 to 4% CO2 emissions/ha, respectively, in northwestern Bangladesh. The results indicate that the impacts of climate change on irrigation costs for groundwater-dependent irrigation would be negligible if warming is limited to 1.5 °C; however, increased emissions, up to 4%, from irrigation pumps can have a significant impact on the total emissions from agriculture. This study revealed that similar impacts from irrigation pumps worldwide would result in an increase in carbon emissions by 4.65 to 65.06 thousand tons, based only on emissions from groundwater-dependent rice fields. Restricting groundwater-based irrigation in regions where the groundwater is already vulnerable, improving irrigation efficiency by educating farmers and enhancing pump efficiency by following optimum pumping guidelines can mitigate the impacts of climate change on groundwater resources, increase farmers’ profits, and reduce carbon emissions in regions with groundwater-dependent irrigation.

Drought assessment using standardised precipitation evaporation index and its association with southern oscillation index in the Northwestern Bangladesh

The trend of drought in the northwestern region of Bangladesh was analysed in this study. To analyse the trend of the multiscalar drought index standardised precipitation evaporation index (SPEI), Mann-Kendall's test and Sen's slope estimator have been used. Assessment of variability of SPEI was conducted by means of the continuous wavelet power spectrum. Significant variability of 6 month scale SPEI was found at 16 to 32 months and 32 to 64 month period from almost 1987 to 2008. To grasp the influence of the southern oscillation index (SOI) on a 6 month scale SPEI, statistical tool wavelet coherence (WTC) has been used. Significant wavelet coherency was observed between SOI and 6 month SPEI at higher periodicity and short time span. The outcomes from this study could assist engineers of agriculture and the water resources sector to establish strategies in Northwestern Bangladesh.

Environmental concern: assessment of meteorological drought

The drought is a lengthy period of unusually low precipitation, leading to a scarcity of water. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) communicates the genuine precipitation as a standardised departure from precipitation probability distribution function. In this study, the daily data for the period 1975-2014 from five precipitation stations surrounding the study area are taken from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and used as a part of the investigations. We assessed the severity and spatial pattern of the meteorological dry spell are investigated in the North-Western region of Bangladesh using multi-temporal SPI. The greatest SPI value is found &minus;2.27 for six-month timescale, &minus;2.17 for 12 month timescale and &minus;1.85 for three months timescale individually in the year 2010 of Rajshahi station. Mild and moderate drought happen at all stations in the different year of the study area. Severe and extreme drought is mostly found in Rajshahi and Ishurdi locales in the years 1982, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2000, 2010 and 2012. It is expected that the findings of the study will support drought observing and the outcomes will demonstrate lesser precipitation in the future over the North-West region of Bangladesh.

Environmental concern: assessment of meteorological drought

The drought is a lengthy period of unusually low precipitation, leading to a scarcity of water. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) communicates the genuine precipitation as a standardised departure from precipitation probability distribution function. In this study, the daily data for the period 1975-2014 from five precipitation stations surrounding the study area are taken from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department and used as a part of the investigations. We assessed the severity and spatial pattern of the meteorological dry spell are investigated in the North-Western region of Bangladesh using multi-temporal SPI. The greatest SPI value is found −2.27 for six-month timescale, −2.17 for 12 month timescale and −1.85 for three months timescale individually in the year 2010 of Rajshahi station. Mild and moderate drought happen at all stations in the different year of the study area. Severe and extreme drought is mostly found in Rajshahi and Ishurdi locales in the years 1982, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2006, 2000, 2010 and 2012. It is expected that the findings of the study will support drought observing and the outcomes will demonstrate lesser precipitation in the future over the North-West region of Bangladesh.

Length-weight and length-length relationships of five fish species in the Atrai River, Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Summary A total of 502 specimens were obtained during monthly samplings from July to December 2015, by fishermen using seine nets, gillnets and cast nets. Length–weight (LWRs) and length–length (LLRs) relationships were estimated for five fish species collected from the Atrai River in the northwestern region of Bangladesh. The values of slope (b) in LWRs (r2 > .913, p .897, p < .001). No previous information on LWRs (except for G. cenia) and LLRs (except for S. bacaila) of these selected species were found in FishBase.