Resources In Bangladesh Research Articles

A model fitting approach for the investigation of thermo-kinetic parameters of rice straw: a viable renewable energy resources in Bangladesh

This study investigates the potential of renewable energy sources to address the growing energy demands of developing nations while ensuring environmental sustainability. Here, a model-based analysis to assess the feasibility of utilizing rice straw pyrolysis as a renewable energy source is investigated. The thermogravimetric analysis identified the optimal temperature range for pyrolysis (230–400 °C) and the Coats–Redfern model was employed for kinetic analysis. Diffusion models, particularly D3, exhibited the best fit with an activation energy of 16–18 kJ/mol. Thermodynamic analysis confirmed the endothermic nature of the process, with positive enthalpy and negative entropy changes indicating an increase in energy and a more ordered product. These findings suggest that rice straw pyrolysis holds promise as a viable renewable energy option. This study contributes to understanding the rice straw pyrolysis mechanism which could be helpful for its effective utilization at commercial scale.

Effect of plastic mulch and strip tillage on soil hydrothermal characteristics and potato cultivation in the Bogura district of Bangladesh

AbstractFuture periods with limited water resources in Bangladesh will need the use of effective water‐saving technology, such as mulching, to increase potato production in a sustainable way. This study investigated the effect of plastic mulch on soil hydrothermal status and its consequent effect on potato production over 2 years in field experiments in Bogura, Bangladesh. We cultivated potato under four treatments: two coloured (black and blue) plastic mulches, strip tillage and no mulch. The black plastic mulch raised the soil temperature by 1.2–2.4°C in the early growth stages and by 0.4–1.2°C in the later growth stages compared to the no‐mulch treatment. This mulch raised soil moisture by 5.1–15.9% and reduced weed growth by 91% compared to no mulch. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents of the soil were significantly higher under the mulching treatments compared to no mulch. When compared to the blue and no‐mulch treatments, black mulch provided 31–34% and 45–48% more tuber yield of potato, respectively, which significantly improved the economic benefits under mulching treatments. Black plastic mulch is therefore suggested as a workable adaptation approach to increase potato production under limited water resources in northern Bangladesh and elsewhere with similar agroclimatic conditions.

First report on population dynamics and stock status of Badis badis in a wetland ecosystem (NW Bangladesh): Insights from new recorded maximum length

Badis badis (Hamilton, 1822) is a popular ornamental fish species in the world. This study provides valuable insights into some biological indices of B. badis using a sample of 293 individuals. These individuals were captured from June 2021 to May 2022 using several traditional fish harvesting gears and traps in the Babu Mondoler beel, a wetland ecosystem in NW Bangladesh. Biometric data were collected for each individual, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of this species. The recorded results revealed a wide range of total length (TL), varying from 2.30 to 11.33 cm. Notably, we observed a maximum length of 11.33 cm TL and a maximum body weight (BW) of 18.18 g, ranging from 0.20 to 18.18 g, setting a new record and showcasing the diversity in size within the population. The estimated allometric coefficient (b) showed that combined sexes had negative allometric growth (b = 2.67). Growth parameters were assessed as L∞ = 11.93 cm, K = 0.95 year−1 and Ø′ = 2.13. The tmax was 3.16 years. The Lm was measured at 7.02 cm TL and tm = 0.89 year. In this study, KF (1.4240 ± 0.3194) was best for the wellbeing of B. badis in the study area. The a3.0 was estimated at 0.0079 and the relative weight WR (100.90 ± 16.994). Physiological status showed that maximum fatty fish were observed at 10.00–12.00 cm TL; lowest at 4.0–6.00 cm TL. Moreover, the Z, Mw, F and E were estimated to be 3.29 year−1, 1.45 year−1, 1.84 year−1and 0.56, respectively. Additionally, the Lopt for this species was found to be 7.91 cm TL. The findings from this study hold great potential for enhancing the assessment and management of the specimen in the study area and its ecological community. These valuable insights into the population parameters, growth patterns, and exploitation rates of B. badis can inform future management strategies, ensuring the sustainable utilization of this fishery resource in Bangladesh and others neighboring countries.

Long-term quantification of pre and post-monsoon surface water area of Bangladesh

Since the 1990s, about 70 percent of the world's wetland ecosystem have been lost, despite the acknowledged contribution of surface waters to human well-being. Surface water is a prerequisite for agriculture, fisheries, and other human activities. It also significantly impacts the groundwater reserve, soil conditions, the environment, and the surrounding area's ecology. Bangladesh's population and economic expansion have increased the need for water resources. Therefore, monitoring the spatial and temporal distribution of surface water resources is essential. The present study used more than 2700 Landsat scenes from 1990 to 2020 to quantify the total surface water area utilizing the strength of cloud computing in the Google Earth Engine platform. Mann-Kendall trend analysis was performed to understand the trend of the surface water area. In 1990 the total pre-monsoon and post-monsoon surface water areas were 7994.91 km2 and 11453.43 km2 which is 5.38% and 7.71% of the total countries area, respectively. In 2010 and 2020, the water area was 10748.61 km2 (7.24%) and 10313.49 km2 (6.94%), respectively, in the pre-monsoon; and 10794.05 km2 (7.27%) and 15570.36 km2 (10.48%) respectively in the post-monsoon season. The overall change between 2020 and 1990 is 7994.91 km2 (1.89%) in the pre-monsoon season and 4116.93 (2.77%) in the post-monsoon season. The maximum average surface water area in the post-monsoon season was found in Sylhet (22.68%), followed by Khulna (14.52%). Rangpur was found to have the least average surface water area in both seasons (2.85% and 3.57%). Coastal regions showed a significant increasing trend in the surface water area in the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. These findings have significant implications for sustainable surface water management decisions, priority interventions, legal frameworks, and public policies to conserve valuable surface water resources in Bangladesh.

Spatiotemporal analysis and predicting rainfall trends in a tropical monsoon-dominated country using MAKESENS and machine learning techniques

Spatiotemporal rainfall trend analysis as an indicator of climatic change provides critical information for improved water resource planning. However, the spatiotemporal changing behavior of rainfall is much less understood in a tropical monsoon-dominated country like Bangladesh. To this end, this research aims to analyze spatiotemporal variations in rainfall for the period 1980–2020 over Bangladesh at seasonal and monthly scales using MAKESENS, the Pettitt test, and innovative trend analysis. Multilayer Perception (MLP) neural network was used to predict the next 8 years' rainfall changes nationally in Bangladesh. To investigate the spatial pattern of rainfall trends, the inverse distance weighting model was adopted within the ArcGIS environment. Results show that mean annual rainfall is 2432.6 mm, of which 57.6% was recorded from July to August. The Mann–Kendall trend test reveals that 77% of stations are declining, and 23% have a rising trend in the monthly rainfall. More than 80% of stations face a declining trend from November to March and August. There is a declining trend for seasonal rainfall at 82% of stations during the pre-monsoon, 75% during the monsoon, and 100% during the post-monsoon. A significant decline trend was identified in the north-center during the pre-monsoon, the northern part during the monsoon, and the southern and northwestern portions during the post-monsoon season. Predicted rainfall by MLP till 2030 suggests that there will be little rain from November to February, and the maximum fluctuating rainfall will occur in 2025 and 2027–2029. The ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis data findings suggested that changing rainfall patterns in Bangladesh may have been driven by rising or reducing convective precipitation rates, low cloud cover, and inadequate vertically integrated moisture divergence. Given the shortage of water resources and the anticipated rise in water demand, the study's findings have some implications for managing water resources in Bangladesh.

Present status of Seaweed resources in Bangladesh: A review on the diversity, culture methods and utilization

Seaweeds are one of the most potential aquaculture commodities in Bangladesh. It has a long back history of being used for its nutritional and pharmaceutical importance. This review summarizes seaweeds diversity and its culture, distribution and possible applications and uses in Bangladesh. Seaweed floras are distributed along the entire coastline, however, the higher abundance of these have found in the St. Martin Island, Cox's Bazar, and Sundarbans mangrove forest periphery. These included around 200 species and belong to 94 genera. About 12 of these genera, including Hypnea, Gracilaria, Gelidium, Enteromorpha, Halimeda, Padina, Dictyota, Caulerpa, Hydroclathrus, Sargassum, Kappaphycus, and Porphyra have substantial commercial importance. A total of 5,000 metric tons of seaweeds are likely available along the entire coastline between October and April. However, seaweeds commodity and its aquaculture production have a great potential in the coastal region of Bangladesh. Furthermore, the sustainable development of this industry could bring numerous benefits such as rural development, employment opportunity and income generation, women empowerment, disease prevention, and proper utilization of land. Therefore, this sector needs more attention for its expansion activities include culture, usages and bioactive compound developments. Additionally, seaweeds cultivation could have numerous environmental benefits include ecosystem services, removal of hazardous nutrients and pollutants, metal toxicants uptake, in turn estuaries and seas tackle pollution in natural process. Bangladesh J. Zool. 50(3): 283-307, 2022

Phenotypic Characterization of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Germplasm to Develop the High Yielding Breeding Resource in Bangladesh

A study was conducted with 28 tomato germplasm/variety at the Olericulture Division of Horticulture Research Centre, BARI, during the winter season of 2021-22 to evaluate the yield and yield related components. There was significant variability observed among the 28 tomato germplasm varieties. Significant variation was observed in the number of fruits per plant and single fruit weight, while the range was 15-52 and 23-97g, respectively. In this study, eleven germplasms produced more than 70.00 t/ha, with SLA34 producing the highest yield (95.24 t/ha), followed by SLA15-7 (91.24 t/ha), SLA15-1B (86.63 t/ha), SLA36 (85.47t/ha), BARI Tomato-15 (81.35 t/ha), SLA15-6 (79.43t/ha), SLA15-1 (77.22 t/ha). The range of yield was obtained from 26.57-95.24 t/ha. The range of TSS was 2.9% (SLA20) to 6.5% (SLA34), while higher TSS contained germplasm were viz., SLA34 (6.5%), SLA15-5, SLA15-6 (5.2%), SLA15, SLA32 (5.1%). Significant variation was observed for TYLCV infection and leaf-sucking pest infestation, which varied from 0–10% and 0–20%, respectively. Considering yield and yield contributing parameters, the germplasm viz., SLA34, SLA15-7, SLA15-1B, SLA36, SLA15-6, SLA30, SLA15-1, SLA15-4, SLA27, SLA15, SLA32, and SLA11 may be investigated further for developing better tomato varieties.

Modelling the impacts of climate change and management options on sustainable groundwater use in an irrigated agriculture landscape

Declining groundwater resources are a big concern for irrigated agriculture worldwide. This study investigated the causes of declining groundwater and how future climate and management measures impact the groundwater resource in Bangladesh. A conceptual hydrological model (NAM) was used to quantify catchment runoff, groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration loss and a hydraulic model (MIKE11) was used to quantify changes in river flow. The models were calibrated using observed water level, discharge, groundwater level (GWL) and actual evapotranspiration (ET). The modelling encompassed five contrasting climate scenarios of rainfall and potential evapotranspiration (PET) and a management scenario of additional surface water irrigation. The results show that GWL is declining across 16 administrative districts in the northwest region of Bangladesh. On average, the annual decline varies from 20 to 30 mm except for two southern districts where the annual decline was more than 80 mm. Declining rainfall and increasing use of groundwater for irrigation were the principal causes of declining GWL across the region. Under the climate change scenarios, modelled groundwater conditions improve due to increased rainfall. The increase in river water extraction for irrigation also produced positive outcomes for GWL (i.e., lessening the declining rate).

Nitrate Pollution in the Groundwater of Bangladesh: An Emerging Threat

Access to safe potable water is one of the most significant challenges in an environmentally vulnerable country like Bangladesh. The presence of high concentrations of nitrate in groundwater can deteriorate its quality and pose serious health threats. A review was conducted to evaluate the current status of overall nitrate concentrations in different districts (35 out of 64 districts) of Bangladesh based on available published data. Human Health Risk Analysis (HHRA) and nitrate pollution index (NPI) were calculated to illustrate the level of chronic risk and degree of pollution among the population of the studied districts. The HHRA model predicted that the adult population of 48.57% districts and the child population of 56.25% districts were found to be facing potential health risks associated with elevated nitrate consumption. The NPI results revealed that at least 45.72% of the studied districts were characterized by light to very significant nitrate pollution loads. It can be concluded that the outcomes of this systematic study would draw the attention of policymakers and the population of all districts and enable them to take effective measures in preserve groundwater resources in Bangladesh and prevent long-term, complex diseases.

The right to ecology: Rohingya refugees and citizens contest over natural resources in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT More than a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar to live in Bangladesh, mostly in Cox’s Bazar district. The government has been praised worldwide for sheltering them, but this enormous influx has strained its limited resources. As the host communities struggle with the Rohingya for control over and access to the scarce natural resources they depend on for their livelihood — land, water, agriculture, and forests — tension and conflict arise. The host community members perceive that the government and aid agencies prioritize the Rohingya over the host communities in allocating resources, exacerbating their resentment. I argue that although both the locals and the Rohingya are poor and marginalized, as citizens, the locals have a stronger claim to environmental citizenship and rights to state resources. Any ecological policies taken towards the safeguarding of resource usage rights of the Rohingyas should also be inclusive and should give equal consideration to the local host community members.

The Perception of Consumers Towards Microalgae as an Alternative Food Resource in Bangladesh: A Contingent Valuation Approach

The Perception of Consumers Towards Microalgae as an Alternative Food Resource in Bangladesh: A Contingent Valuation Approach

Exploring Mechanisms for Sustainable Resource Management: An Empirical Study on Human, Social, Economic & Environmental Resources in Bangladesh

Sustainable resource management aims to concurrently produce favorable effects for the environment, society, and the economy. The SDGs provide strategies, goals, activities, and management practices that resource management practitioners can apply in the fields of development outcomes in Bangladesh. Advancing the societal aspect of sustainability is challenging in developing countries like Bangladesh because large portions of the population live below the International Poverty Line. This study is done from secondary sources rely on observations to investigate past preparing frameworks examination with certain recommendations of new contemplations, strategies, procedures, and applications Ensuring air and water quality, reducing food and water consumption, decreasing waste, enhancing energy efficiency, sharing of renewable energy and conserving ecologically valuable lands are the challenges of SDG globally. The interrelationship between different factors and their influence on Human, Social, Economic, and Environmental Resources in Bangladesh is highly sensitive and volatile for the accuracy of monitoring. This study aims to Explore Mechanisms for Sustainable Resource Management in Bangladesh in the areas of human, social, economic, and environmental Resources sustainable quality, systems, analysis, and policy. The findings of this study can be used for policy intervention for future sustainable development of the SRM from the perspective of resource Mechanism analysis, renewable resources, and following the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Long-Term Trend and Variability of Rainfall in Bangladesh

The study of long-term rainfall data is significantly important for the country, whose food security and economy depend on the timely availability of water. In this study, spatial and temporal rainfall variability in Bangladesh were analysed for seasonal and annual trends by using monthly rainfall data for 40 years (1981–2020) from 34 stations of Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Linear regression analysis and Mann-Kendall (MK) test were used to identify trends and magnitude of the change and Sen’s slope to estimate the slope of the trend line. The Coefficient of Variation (CV) was used to examine the variability of rainfall. Spatial interpolation technique was done by a Kriging method using Surfer for interpolating the spatial pattern over Bangladesh. With the exception of a few stations, the findings of both parametric and non-parametric tests and trend tests were insignificant for most stations, and these stations revealed a falling trend in annual rainfall. Sen's test showed a decreasing trend for both annual and monsoon rainfall in almost all stations. Over the 40-year periods, among the seasons, the highest percentage of variability was observed in winter rainfall (148.6%) while the lowest percentage variability was observed in annual series (12.1%). The analysis of rainfall data could help irrigation and agricultural management plan for the most efficient use of water resources in Bangladesh.

Co-Management Practices by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Selected Coastal Forest Zones of Bangladesh: A Focus on Sustainability

There has been an upsurge concerning the concept and application of “co-management” in the governance of natural resources in Bangladesh in recent years. Notwithstanding the popularity of co-management, however, the overall approach to implementation has been overtly technical in nature; and there has been limited attention to sustainability dynamics. This article aims to explore aspects policy and practice withinco-management based on several purposely selected cases in the coastal forest zones of Bangladesh. It also identifies the major challenges and issues concerning its sustainability. The lessons generated by this study may be relevant to both policy makers and practitioners. A qualitative research approach was adopted with empirical data collection methods including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, documentary research, and unstructured personal observation. The article begins with a recapitulation of the concept of co-management and its associations with sustainability, followed by an overview of the major co-management practices in Bangladesh. The discussion subsequently raises lessons learned and key issues relating to sustainability, including: the need for sorting out land-related tenurial complications and institutions used in co-management; unequal awareness of the concept of co-management and varying levels of participation of community organizations; the political interface and accountability of co-management institutions; issues of “ownership” at the community level; and the role of “external” support and facilitation. As a recently developed concept and practice, co-management seems to be rapidly taking root and displaying signs of gradual consolidation in Bangladesh. Considerable progress has been made in terms of required policy and legislative reforms, community level institution building, and a degree of change in the mindset of the government agencies to accommodate and nurture co-management. However, numerous issues (e.g., tenurial rights, effective community participation, equity, political dynamics, adequate financial support, accountability, and transparency) still need to be resolved if sustainability is to be fully achieved and satisfy the hopes and needs of local communities both now and in the future.

A conceptual analysis of the Rohingya–host community conflict over scarce resources in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Bangladesh hosts over a million Rohingya on humanitarian grounds and offers them food and shelter. The Rohingya compete with the local community for access to economic and environmental resources and public services. I analyse this competition and conflict using conflict theory, which is a sociological perspective on social conflict. I argue that while the Rohingya are unquestionably marginalized, so is the local community, who are citizens and have the right to life and livelihood. I find that the presence of the Rohingya constrains the poor local community’s already limited access and that leads to conflicts on various issues such as access to inadequate public services, local and economic activities such as labour markets and environmental resources, and there is an emerging problem of safety and security that they are facing. We can understand this as a type of resource conflict which emerges within the south-south forced migration, statelessness, and refugee-hood context between the citizens and the refugees, as countries in the Global South, such as Bangladesh, generally lack the resources and capacity to govern people.

Potential Impacts of Industrialization on Coastal Fresh Groundwater Resources in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is overly dependent on groundwater and the demand in the near future is expected to increase, as the country is experiencing rapid development and industrial growth. This study assesses the prospect and sustainability of groundwater in Mirsharai Upazila, Chattogram, where a large industrial area, namely ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN)’, is taking shape. The physical aquifer system was characterized and groundwater quality was mapped. There is one thick aquifer in the northernmost part of the upazila, which splits into three separate aquifers in the south. Water quality indexing suggests that the deep (>130 m) groundwater throughout upazila is good (n = 5) to excellent (n = 18), while the shallow groundwater is mostly poor to unsuitable for both drinking and irrigation purposes. Because of the close proximity to the sea and the presence of thick clays above the deep freshwater aquifer in the BSMSN area, heavy industrial abstraction poses a threat to the lateral intrusion of seawater and land subsidence. Even a small subsidence in the project area at only a couple of meters above sea level would jeopardize the entire project. This study recommends limiting the use of the deep fresh groundwater for the current population of the upazila.

Assessing the quality and credibility of scholarly information resources: an investigation into information behaviours of university faculty members

PurposeThis paper aims at assessing faculty members' information searching patterns and the process of determining their information sources' quality and credibility.Design/methodology/approachThis study administered an online survey through email invitation to secure data from 987 (55%) faculty members of both public and private universities of Bangladesh. The data were analysed using various descriptive statistics, and parametric and non-parametric tests such as Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis, and one-way ANOVA tests, to see the significant differences according to demographic characteristics at a 0.05 level of significance.FindingsThis study's outcomes affirm that most participants use Google Scholar and ResearchGate when searching/seeking information. Furthermore, for authenticating the credibility and quality of information, most faculty members tried to identify the information source and applied personal knowledge regarding information authentication. The statistical test results also found significant differences among faculty members' demographic characteristics (gender, age, experience and area of specialization) using the various source types. No significant differences were observed for determining information credibility in terms of faculty members’ demographic characteristics.Research limitations/implicationsAs a limitation, this study only includes public and private universities in Bangladesh. This research could be more comprehensive if faculty members from other countries had participated in the survey.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to approach this significant but less addressed area to understand faculty member's behaviour in terms of determining the quality and credibility of information resources in Bangladesh.

Impact of climate-induced extreme events and demand–supply gap on water resources in Bangladesh

Abstract Agriculture, domestic users, and industry rely on water resources systems for fulfilling water demand, while water resources systems face both climate-induced extreme events and management and governance problems. These constraints lead to a mismatch between demand and supply of water for those sectors. This study applies central tendency and variability to analyze data and a mixed methods approach to interpret the result. From 1999 to 2019, the growth rates of population, gross domestic product, and urban population are ­1.354, 6.084, and 3.70%, respectively, contributing to increased water demand. However, the average groundwater depletion increased from 2.455 km3 (1989–1990) to 4.9016 km3, while the average flood-affected areas enhanced by 8,644 km2 in 2014–2018 compared to 1987–1991. Furthermore, salt-affected areas incremented by 222,810 ha in 2009 contrasted to 1973, whereas the mean wind speed of cyclones increased by 30.02 km in 2015–2020 compared to 1988–1995. The mean sea-level rise increased by 16.8 and 169.2 cm in 1995–2000 compared to 1979–1983 in Cox's Bazar and the Char Changa station, respectively. The Mann–Kendall test was applied to detect the trend. This study urges policymakers, water experts, and academics to promote rainwater harvesting that is sustainable to govern rainwater and mitigate water and economic poverty.

Assessing gender parity in intrahousehold allocation of educational resources: Evidence from Bangladesh

• Gender gap study in intrahousehold allocation of educational resources in Bangladesh. • Three-part model built for analyzing hou seholds with secondary school age children. • Profemale bias found in enrollment from double-difference and three-part models. • Promale bias found in total education expenditure and core share among enrollees. • Female Stipend Programs partially explain this contradirectional bias. Gender parity in education—an important global development goal—has been primarily measured through school enrollment, and the gender parity in education quality has received limited attention until recently. We address this issue by highlighting the intrahousehold allocation of education expenditure. We extend the hurdle model into a three-part model to enable decomposition of households’ education decisions into enrollment, total education expenditure, and share of the total education expenditure on the core component, or items relating to the quality of education such as private tutoring. We apply this model to four rounds of nationally representative household surveys from Bangladesh, a country that offers a unique setting in South Asia with the Female Stipend Programs (FSPs), a nationwide gender-targeted conditional cash transfer program. We demonstrate a strong profemale bias in the enrollment decision but contrasting promale bias in the other two decisions, conditional on enrollment. We argue that this contradirectional gender gap is unique to Bangladesh and that it can be explained partly by the FSPs. Both the three-part model and a separate analysis of double-difference model show that the FSPs promoted girls’ secondary school enrollment. However, the FSPs did not narrow the gender gap in the intrahousehold allocation of educational resources. Consistently, we find a gender gap in on-time completion of secondary school. Our findings collectively highlight the complex interplay of intrahousehold decisions and underscore the importance of minding the gender gap in the quality of education and implementing complementary policies to address it in developing countries.

Marine Fisheries Act 2020 of Bangladesh: A Missed Opportunity for Sustainability and Collaborative Governance

Abstract This article critically examines the Marine Fisheries Act 2020 of Bangladesh. The Act replaced the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983 with a view to upgrading the regulation of fisheries resources in Bangladesh’s marine waters. However, a substantial portion of the Act replicates the 1983 Ordinance. Critically, the Act does not incorporate the internationally recognised principles and measures of fisheries management, despite Bangladesh’s international obligations. Moreover, the new law is silent about capacity development of relevant government agencies and community engagement. Overall, it was a missed opportunity for Bangladesh to include sustainability and collaborative governance principles in its marine fisheries sector.