Background:
The whole Northwest region of Bangladesh is facing low rainfall, ground water depletion, drought and deforestation for the last 3-4 decades. According to country studies on climate change, drought situation will be aggravated in the region in the coming years. The field visit site situated in the severe drought-prone region of the country with high concentration of poverty. Agriculture and other main livelihood activities and human health are badly affected by the drought situation in the locality. Higher levels of food insecurity, unemployment and seasonal migration are common as their livelihoods significantly depend on natural resource base. Common people lack awareness about current and future climate change impacts and they do not have much idea for necessary adaptation options to address these.
DABI is committed to focus on the issues of Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in drought prone north-west region of Bangladesh and focusing its activities for climate vulnerable hard core poor, small and marginal farmer, women and people with disability.
(Drought Areas) :
High barind tract area of Bangladesh ,Porsha & Shapahar Upazilla at Naogaon District.
The barind Tract lies in the monsoon region of the summer dominant hemisphere. The climate of the area is generally warm (Average 370C and humid (70.5-80%). Based on rainfall, humidity, temperature and wind pressure the weather condition is classified into four types, such as, (a) pre-monsoon, (b) monsoon, (c) post-monsoon and (d) winter.
Rainfall is very small and varies from place to place as well as year to year. For instance, the rainfall recorded in 1981 was about 1,738 mm, but in 1992 it was about 798 mm only. This region has already been designated as drought prone. Particularly Porsha & Sapahar are the mostly affected victims of barind tract as there particularly less rainfall, hot humid, deep ground water level, unable to install tube-well in the most area, diversification of agricultural land are the most prominent than other barind tract area of Naogaon.
Since rainwater is the main source of groundwater recharge in this area, the climatic change that disfavors abundant precipitation has adversely affected the groundwater recharge system. The withdrawal of more groundwater than its recharge for irrigation and domestic uses causes the successive lowering of the Barind region. These phenomena have eventually been greatly affecting the environmental parameters and if it persists the environment of the Barind Tract will become rather unfavorable for habitation in the near future.
The area was considered a low potential area for groundwater development, agriculture used to depend on monsoon rainwater. As a consequence, there used to be only one crop and the Tract was a food deficit area.
Hazards and impacts:
Porsha and Shapahar Upazila are situated in the high Barind Tract area and are highly prone to drought. Drought is the result of insufficient or no rainfall for an extended period as well as extreme evaporation and transpiration. This leads to a reduction in stream flow and depletion of ground water and soil moisture, which in turn cause water insufficiency to meet regular needs for agriculture, livestock rearing and human use. Most of the populations are landless and very poor, and their livelihood depends mainly on agriculture and agro-based wage labour. Ultimately this situation burdens the poor, marginal farmers and other vulnerable HHs. It is predicted by the experts that this problem will increase in future due to climate variability induced by climate change.
Water situation:
Traditionally ponds and wells are the safe water resources of the high Barind tract area. Many of these resources have already been abandoned, and most of them dry up during the dry season. The water quality of these ponds is extremely low due to unsanitary/unhygienic practices. More than 80 percent of HHs in the area do not have a sanitary latrine. Some traditional ponds are chemically and biologically contaminated by aquaculture practices. Other surface water sources like rivers and channels/canals (locally known as Khari) contain little water in the dry season (from November to May). So groundwater is the preferred and most important water source in the area. But extraction of ground water (by installing tube wells) is a very costly choice for the poor since the depth of the water table is zero to 180 feet, and it becomes depleted in the dry season. To cope with this situation poor people are left with no alternative but either to drink less or to depend on unsafe water which causes gynecological problems, waterborne diseases, skin diseases, etc.
Agriculture:
Agricultural practice and production have the most direct impact on the economy of the area. They impact on poverty alleviation, food security, human resource development and employment generation. But this agro-based economy is vulnerable to climatic variability such as untimely rainfall, prolonged drought, heavy fog, etc. induced by climate change. Farmers have started changing their conventional cropping pattern in the vast Barind tract due to its water-stressed condition caused by the adverse impact of climate change for the last couple of years.
Employment and Livelihood:
Most of the land of the project villages is without irrigation coverage and agriculture is mainly rain-feed. These lands are left unutilized as fallow land in the dry season (March to May) and these results in loss of livelihood for those earning a living from agro-based activities. Due to a lack of diversified agriculture and less labor intensive activities from mid September to mid November, job opportunities go down in that period, and other occupations like van pulling, small trades, etc., which mostly depend on agriculture also face recession. To cope with this lean period seasonal migration occurs. Those who cannot migrate, especially women and indigenous people, borrow money from the rich by selling their labour in advance for a low price, and through this process they get trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.
Drought and Poverty:
Increased drought will increase poverty in the area. Job opportunities are very limited there, and depend on agriculture. Therefore, if the agricultural sector fails/ suffers due to climatic variability induced by climate change the whole local economy will fail. This will affect every sector and the results will be catastrophic. To avoid this catastrophe adaptation facilitation through national level policy intervention, incorporating community choice, is essential.
Challenges:
- Ground water layer is not available in each part of the village.
- This is time consuming during deep tube well establishment.
- No own land that why borrow money from the rich by selling their labour in advance for a low price, and through this process they get trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty.
- Roof and fence of latrine are poor in quality as they are very poor.
- So much hardy soil severely affected during digging.
- Lack of pure water, No own pond/land of community people for pond digging.
- Unavailability of high yielding sheep during purchase time.
Conclusions:
1. Drought is a continuous threat to agriculture and ultimately to food security. It is occurred due to inadequate rainfall, lowering the groundwater level and so on. It remains to be the most important threat to food production and food and nutritional security in Bangladesh. Its effects are inter-temporal and long-lasting.
2. For ensuring food security, various techniques should be adopted to mitigate drought problems namely drought resistant variety, rainwater harvesting and management, improved irrigation efficiency etc.
Rony Talukder 