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

Abstract

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.