Impact of a submersible embankment project on Haor based livelihood

Abstract

Haor in the Northeast Region of Bangladesh is a very unique type of wetland and is characterized by the presence of numerous large, deeply flooded depressions, between the rivers. Premonsoon flash flood from the neighboring hilly region of India is a common phenomenon, which damages the only possible Boro crop of the region. A number of submersible embankment projects (SEPs) have been constructed by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to give protection against premonsoon flashflood. From the review of past studies, it has been ascertained that SEPs have had positive impact on Boro production. But, the impact of the SEPs on the people’s standard of living and contribution of the project to the development goal as per National Water Policy has not been assessed. In this study, the impact of a SEP on the Haor based livelihoods has been assessed. Sonamoral SEP that was implemented in 1991 in Sunamganj district in the northeast region has been selected as the study area. An index called Household Development Index (HHDI) based on the concept of the UNDP for assessment of human development is used to quantify livelihood development of the study area. HHDI is constructed using the important livelihood development indicators considering the context of the study area e.g. income, length of working opportunity in the main and other occupations, food security, protein intake and access to natural resources. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method has been applied to collect the information of pre and post project condition based on the indicators. Four Haor based livelihood groups, viz. agricultural, fisherman, boatman and aquatic plant harvester have been identified in the study. They are fully dependent on the Haor and its natural resources. A total of 500 households survey, five focus group discussions and five village level general meetings have been conducted for this study. The present study shows that, the Sonamoral SEP has successfully contributed in increasing the Boro production through reducing damage and increasing coverage of HYV Boro. But, the value of HHDI has declined from pre project (before 1991) condition to post project (after 1991) condition in agriculture from 0.54 to 0.43, fisherman from 0.52 to 0.42, boatman from 0.45 to 0.36 and in aquatic plant depended group from 0.51 to 0.47. The average of HHDI has declined from 0.53 to 0.43. Agriculture landowners who are holding the large portion of the cultivable land are mostly benefited from the project while the other livelihood groups are deprived. Negative impact on hydrological system and ecological resources is also observed in the study area.