Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
as quoted above have been subject to much debate.
But the text indicates the presence of embank-
ments in ancient Bengal, and this has so far not
been contested. The rationale for ancient rulers
building such earthen structures, as the literature
suggests, was flood protection and protection of
agricultural production. Artificial cuts or breaches
towards the end of the monsoon ensured drainage
and natural fertilization of crop fields. These cuts
were closed at the beginning of the monsoon. In
many cases the embankments were built for phil-
anthropic reasons, but also the embankments
ensured the state's own interest, as agriculture was
the only source of income in ancient times.
Some of these initiatives remain as relics of
a bygone era. For example, a large embankment
in the Natore district containing masonry bridges
and big enough to carry a railway bridge was
constructed by Rani Bhawani (1716-1795) and is
called Rani Bhawani's Jangal.
During the Moghul period (1526-1757), govern-
ment institutions such as the Pulbandy or Pusht-
bandy were created at regional level and allocated
government funds to carry out activities to ensure
construction and maintenance of roads, embank-
ments and dredging of rivers. Locally, it was man-
datory for zamindars, or landlords, to initiate and
supervise management of local land and water
resources. If needed, zamindars were authorized
to levy taxes known asAbwab andMahut taxes, to
compensate for any fund deficiencies. The land-
and water-related issues of a village were the
responsibility of the gram-sharanjami, compris-
ing volunteers, who were controlled by the
Panchayat, a community group consisting of
village elders.
However, towards the end of theMoghul period
these land management and flood protection
works started to get disorganized and unregulated.
During the Colonial Period (1757-1947), the water
management taxes and gram-sharanjami did not
exist anymore, and state support to the Panchayat
was withdrawn. The colonial revenue systems in
British India were based on land with no emphasis
onwater (Alcoli 1921). Under the changed circum-
stances the community was kept at bay and
local land management institutions and existing
By the end of the 1960s, a sort of equilibrium
had been reached in the pattern of land use, which
had remained unchanged over the years (Abdullah
et al. 1991). Agriculture dominates both land use
and the national economy. Arable land stands at
about 8.9 million hectares, forest accounts for
about 2.02 million hectares, and settlements plus
water for about 3.03 million hectares. Floodplain
settlements typically are concentrated on the
highest available land, on river banks or ridges.
They are surrounded by agricultural land extend-
ing down to the lowest land, which is deeply
flooded in the monsoon season. Currently a total
of 8.45 million hectares of arable land is cultivat-
ed. These figures indicate that land in Bangladesh
is already very intensely used.
Moreover, with increased focus on industriali-
zation and a shift of the population towards
urbanized areas, the demand for non-agricultural
use of land is increasing gradually, especially in
and around the major cities. According to the
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 9567 km
2
of the
country is urbanized (Bangladesh Bureau of Sta-
tistics 1991). This area includes urban growth
centres, Thana (smallest administrative units)
headquarters, towns, cities and statistically met-
ropolitan areas.
Land Management Practices:
Reconstruction of History
Since ancient times, land management in Bangla-
desh has centred on the numerous rivers, the
annual cycles of flooding and the hydrological
characteristics of the country. In his famous work
'Ain-I-Akbari', the historian and member of
Emperor Akbar's court claimed that Bangala (an-
cient name for Bengal) is derived from the combi-
nation of vanga and al. Vangameans wetlands and
al is used for small embankments. According to
his writings, '...the original name of Bengal was
Bang. Its former rulers raised mounds ten yards in
height and twenty yards in width throughout the
province which were called al. From this suffix,
the name Bengal arose' (quoted in Majumdar,
1943). The interpretations of Abul Fazal's writings
