Shah Md. Anowar Kamal :
Water is essential for life and livelihoods. No living being on earth can survive without it. It is a prerequisite for human health and well-being as well as for the preservation of the environment. Water is a vital resource for businesses and agriculture. Globally agriculture is the largest user of water which accounts for 70% of the total withdrawal. By 2050 agriculture will need to produce 60% more good globally and 100% more in developing countries.
Water demand for manufacturing would increase by 400% in 2050. The main increase will be in developing countries. Water for industry and water for development is also important. 90% of all power production is water intensive. This year main slogan is water and jobs. It is a major source of energy. In a few countries including Bangladesh it makes up an integral part of transport systems. With improved scientific understanding, the international community has also come to appreciate more fully the valuable services provided by water-related ecosystems, from flood control to storm protection and water purification.
It is the core of sustainable development. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth, affecting the livelihoods of billions. Therefore each drop of water is powerful. Water is central to way of life in Bangladesh and important resource for the wellbeing of its people and provides livelihoods for millions of people.
Water is life. Human works are closely related with water. In our rural areas, we see a good variety of occupational group like blacksmith, potters, carpenter etc. everybody need water for their lives and livelihoods. A good number of people live on the char and coastal areas. Their life also depends on water. Without water we cannot think of our life. We need water and biodiversity to keep country geographically and naturally beautiful. We manage to fetch water either from the surface or from the ground, but never think about the future. In my childhood I had seen water is procured from different sources. We had Ring-well, we had water in the river, and we would preserve water in big jar made of clay. And we could use at any time.
Anyway value of water is undeniable. Each drop of water is powerful and is in demand. Water resources and the range of services they provide, strengthen poverty reduction, economic growth, affecting livelihoods of billions. Bangladesh is an agrarian country. Agriculture provides employment to approximately 70% of the population and contributes some 19.5% to the national GDP.
Along with surface water irrigation, DTW and STW irrigation is extended rapidly during the late 1970’s and 1980’s. On an annual basis the total renewable water resources amounts to about 1211 bcm. Of those 21.1 are ground water resources.
While the demand for fresh water is increasing day by day, its supply is decreasing. The gap between global water demand and reliable supply could reach 40% over the next 20 years and particularly in developing regions the water deficit will rise 50%. As such we need to take care of water and its sources, but the management of water resources has become a critical need in Bangladesh because of growing demand for water and increasing conflict over its alternative uses. As populations expand and make uses of water for various purposes, its growing scarcity becomes a serious issue in developing countries such as Bangladesh. Water can no longer be considered a totally free resource, and plans must be developed for its efficient use through better management and rules that preserve everybody’s access to it and interest in its development. Because it is a common resource, its development and management should involve all beneficiaries.
The management of water resources in Bangladesh however involves a centralized, heavy engineering approach i.e. technical, scientific in order to control floods and install irrigation. The other uses of water, such as domestic use and sanitation, fisheries, navigation, ecology and biodiversity, tend to be overlooked, undermining the lives and livelihoods of the rural poor and ecosystem. The construction of irrigation canals and the intensive use of water for irrigation have led rivers, canals and wetlands to dry up, thereby denying opportunities for subsistence food production to the landless people and small and marginal farmers.
The traditional water management system is still very good. It was very good too previously. But the act like filling of canal, filling of river, filling of water bodies, building houses hither and thither push the biodiversity in to danger. Policy makers discuss about integrated water management but its implementation is hardly materialized.
The rivers loss navigability, blacksmith, potters, fishermen are becoming unemployed. Barrage is constructed here and there in the name of river reformation. But this is not integrated management.
If we really want to see a green Bangladesh, we should think of the integration of traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge. We must give attention to river siltation. Ideal pond management is our heritage but we are losing it. We in fact need a green Bangladesh. We want to live as bangali with our traditional food- fish and rice.
