Agricultural Drought in Bangladesh - Monitoring and Predicting Agricultural Drought: A Global Study - page 320

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46

(Rahman et al., 1990; Ahmad et al., 1994; Halcrow and Associates, 2001).
Consequently, the possibility of surface water irrigation in the country has
been reduced considerably.
To maintain self-sufficiency in food production, farmers have adapted to
the use of modern irrigation techniques. Mechanized pumps have replaced
the traditional methods of transferring water. Table 24.3 shows gradual
development of various forms of irrigation with respect to time and tech-
nology. It is evident from table 24.3 that the total irrigated area more than
doubled from 1985 to 2000. Moreover, the contribution of surface water
and groundwater was almost equal in 1984-85. The recent expansion in
total irrigated area was made possible due to about a threefold increase in
groundwater irrigation, as against only about a 44% increase in surface-
water irrigation during the same time. Currently, about 4.1 million ha out
of 8.5 million ha of net cropped area (NCA) is being irrigated to cope with
droughts. A recent study suggests that a total of 7.56 million ha could be
brought under irrigation, which represents approximately 84% of NCA
(Karim et al., 2001). Given the fiscal incentives provided for expansion of
irrigation under the private sector, it is expected that more lands will be
brought under irrigation in coming years.
Fortunately, Bangladesh has a reasonably good groundwater resource.
The quaternary alluvium, the base material that raised the delta above sea
level, constitutes a huge aquifer with reasonably good transmission and
storage properties. Despite the growth in groundwater agriculture, heavy
rainfall and annual inundation help the resources recharge substantially. It
is estimated that 21 billion m 3 of groundwater is available (MPO, 1991).
However, the piezometric surface of the groundwater aquifers in many ar-
eas, especially in the western parts of the country, have lowered steadily
because of continued withdrawal of groundwater to offset droughts (Hal-
crow and Associates, 2001). In the areas dependent on the surface flows of
the Ganges River, it is found that shallow tubewells have become inoper-
able in as many as 58 subdistricts due to the gradual lowering of aquifer
surface. This is sufficient evidence that the management of drought in com-
ing decades will be much more difficult.
Groundwater irrigation involves high production costs, especially for
the poor farmers engaged in subsistence agriculture. Half of the farming
community does not have any cropland; either they are sharecroppers, or
they offer physical labor. For the sharecroppers, irrigation appears to be
an economic burden which the owners do not share, but for which they
receive the benefits.
Unfortunately, unlike flood, it is not possible to bear the loss due to
drought. Often poor farmers borrow money at high interest rates, as high
as 100%, to be repaid just after harvest of the standing crop (BUP, 2002).
There are concerns that fighting droughts has caused high capital invest-
ment, which ultimately rendered many poor families indebted to local
wealthy people. An accumulation of such debts often forces the poor farm-
ers to migrate. Drought is therefore believed to have compounded the al-
ready endemic problem of poverty in rural Bangladesh.

[320

Line
——
0.0
——
Long
PgEn

[320