Abstract:
The National Women development Policy 1997 and the National Water Policy 1999 of
Bangladcsh emphasize the importance or promoting gender equity by involving men and
women at different levels in water resources programme~, ineluding decision making and
implemcntation, Accordingly, the Small Scale Water Re~ourccs Development Sector
Projects (SSWRDSP) of Local Government Engineering Department (LOED) attributes
high priority in promoting gender equity in participation, in decision making and in
implementation phases of the projects. Thi~ study assessed the extent of gender equality
achieved in a SSWRDSP, namely Balajtala-Kalmadanga Subproject in the southwest
region of the country. Specifie emphasis was identification of strengths and gap, of
v,'ater concerned gender equality issues in the project area. The asSe5sment tool used
was lhc Harvard Analytical framework, which u:;es four interrelated component~,
Activity Profile, Access and Control Profile, Factors Influencing Access and Control and
Project eycle Analysis. Accordingly, four major areas werc focused in (he study: increase
of cmployment sector due to water project establishment; gendcr equality in case of
access and COlltrol over the resources (such as land, water, income and capital) and
benelit, (such as crcdit program, tmining, canal cxcavation, pre-harvesting activities,
harve,ling activities, post harvesting activities, improved well being, dccision making);
factors those are considered as opportunity (such as watcr control structure, training,
crcdit program, instilutional arrangement and legislation) and constraint (such a~ fund,
lack of concero on gender i~sues ,hawed by LGED, Water Management Cooperative
Association, norms & religious values for gender cquality progress in the study area);
and practical and strategic needs of the people. Results show that gcnder equality
progress is satisfactory in three components oftbe framework, while progres~ is far less
in somc areas (e.g. O&M, dccision making, land ownership and association with credit
programs). Tbe study make~ somc recommendatiolls for thc enhancement of gender
equality in such water resourees projects.
