Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
flood plain zoning to accommodate necessary
engineering measures and allocate space for
habitation patterns, economic activities and envi-
ronmental resources (Flood Plan Coordination
Organisation 1995).
strategy follow-up to FAP and became the working
policy document for the water sector. Many of the
BWFMS concepts were carried forward into the
National Water Policy, which was adopted in De-
cember 1998. The concepts advocated a multi-sec-
tored integrated approach, which was a substantial
deviation from the ideas that had dominated water
sector thinking until the early days of FAP.
The National Water Management Plan
(NWMP), formulated in 2004, is a framework
plan to be implemented by 24 organizations.
Line agencies and other organizations are expected
to plan and implement their own activities in
a coordinatedmanner following government rules
and procedures and according to their mandates
within the NWMP. The Plan takes into account
lessons learned from past activities in flood and
land management and provides a comprehensive
focus on relevant issues. The Plan is to be a rolling
plan to be reviewed and updated every 5 years,
providing a firm plan for the first 5 years, an
indicative plan for the subsequent 5 years, and
a perspective plan for the long term (25 years).
Over the past three decades flood and water
management in Bangladesh has gradually evolved
to its current stage. Although the FCD/FCDI
projects still dominate management practices,
considerable change and progress based on practi-
cal experience (and 'lessons learnt'), can be seen in
the planning and implementation of these pro-
jects. Emphasis is on a more comprehensive
approach with multi-objective and multi-sectoral
planning, rather than single-objective (e.g. food
grain self-sufficiency) planning. The generally
better performance of small-scale interventions
and private sector development has seen the
reduced importance of large-scale government
projects. Stakeholder participation and consulta-
tion at all levels, fromthe private andNGOsectors
aswell as the public sector, is now recognized to be
essential (NWMPP2000). Low-cost activities such
as structural floodproofing and non-structural
measures are now advocated for rural areas, which
are not of high economic importance, with
urban FCD being given more emphasis than in
the past. Present integrated water and land use
planning is set to focus on the development of
Physical Basis of Land Management
in Bangladesh
Land management in Bangladesh is determined
mainly by the monsoon rainfall and the seasonal
flooding that affects the greater part of the country.
These physical determinants are reinforced by al-
terations to the natural environment through flood
protection, drainage and irrigation interventions.
High population pressure with increased urbani-
zation and rapid industrialization is inducing land
use change by taking up relatively flood-free agri-
cultural land around themajor cities. Nevertheless
agriculture still dominates land management.
The land classification that has been estab-
lished by MPO is used for the planning and
assessment of flood management schemes
and programmes. The classification is based on
the experience of farmers and local populations,
and collected through extensive fieldwork.
Depending on flood depth in an average year,
the framework classifies land in Bangladesh into
five categories. Details of the MPO classification
of land types are presented in Table 24.1.
.
F0, or high land, is usually above normal flood
level. Shallow flooding of less than 30 cm may
occur occasionally in the rainy season. Most of the
urban areas are considered as F0 land or high land.
.
F1, ormedium-high land, is land that is normally
flooded to a depth of about 30-90 cm in the rainy
season. Land that is shallowly flooded for a few
hours at high tide each day is included.
.
F2, or medium-low land, is land that is normally
flooded to a depth of 90-180 cmin the rainy season.
This type of land is also inundated for a longer
period, as the water takes more time to recede.
.
F3, or lowland, is land that is normallyflooded to
depths ranging from 180 cm up to about 360 cm in
the rainy season. The land becomes dry for all or
most of the dry season.
