Evaluating the impact of a flood control and drainage project on poverty using participatory poverty assessment method

Abstract

Every water resource project has its own objectives, mainly to reduce the losses or to improve people's quality of life thus helping poverty alleviation. The Tripalli Flood Control and Drainage (FCD) sub project located in Tungipara upazilla of Gopalgonj district is such a project. The sub project area is surrounded by three rivers; the Modhumoti, Ghagar Orsaildah and Tungir Gang. These three rivers are interconnected by some narrow channels. In addition, three canals, which are connected with the Ghagar Orsaildah river, enter into the sub project area. Any rise in water level at any point of these rivers causes a rise in water level at the connected canals and creates water logging problem inside the villages. The project was implemented to alleviate such problem and thereby to reduce poverty. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the Tripalli sub project on poverty alleviation by using participatory poverty assessment tools. Focus group discussions and interviews were used to choose the poverty indicators. The indicators based on economic and social conditions of a family were used to categorize each family under better off, average, poor and very poor groups. For economic indicators, the lower and upper limit for better off, average, poor and very poor groups are 57-64, 42-56, 24-41 and 16-23, respectively. For social indicator, the 100yerlimit and upper limit for better off, average, poor and very poor groups are 25-28, 15-24, 8-14, and 7, respectively. The impacts are evaluated following the before and after project approach considering 1996 as base year and 2010 as current year. The results of this study show that the changes in cropping pattern, cropping intensity, crop yield, employment opportunity . . and flood damage related maintenance cost are positive in current year. Compared to the base year, the number of families in current year in better off group has increased by 15.38%, in average group by 35.92%, in poor group by 30.88% and in very poor group this number has decreased by 87.18%. The annual rate of poverty reduction is 1.07% within the project area during ~996-20 1a whereas the poverty level has increased by 0.12% per year in Khulna Division during 2000-2005. Literary, the project contribution to poverty reduction is 1.19% per year. Though the number. of poor families has increased, the number of very poor families has decreased significantly. The main objective of a FCD project is to improve the condition of very poor group. In that respect the Tripalli sub project can be considered as a successful project.