Water logging in South-Western Bangladesh has adverse impacts on social, economic, occupational, cultural, political, and religious condition. No fruitful initiatives are being taken to combat water logging. So people of the region are becoming the permanent victim of it. Moreover, due to the permanent water congestion sudden flood is occurred during the rainy months. In the other words, the water logging situation causes recurring flood in every monsoon (Unnayan Onneshan, 2006). While there is a very little number of specific research on the water logging problem, it is believed that climate change could further exacerbate this issue through changes in sedimentation and river-flow, increased monsoon rainfall and retarded discharge of rivers due to back water effect and sea-level rise (Ahmed, 2006).
The South-West region is positioned in the coastal zone where is significantly influenced by the tidal effects. So this region is monotonously flat and having low elevation. According to available statistics on coastal zone, majority of the land is within one meter from mean see level, the significant proportion of which again falls below high-tide level (Islam, 2005). This coastal region has been subjected to a plethora of hydro-geo-morphological hazards which include poor drainage through its river system, high rates of sedimentation on river beds, acute low flow conditions during the dry season, salinity ingress along the rivers, cyclone storm surge, moisture stress in the dry season, rise in sea level, and to a lesser extent, flood (Halcrow-WARPO, 2001).
If we look at the history, we see that since 17th century, landlords or Zamindars constructed wooden sluice gates around the area to protect the arable land from flood. During rainy season, farmers exchanged saline water of their fields with river water when it becomes sweet. This traditional knowledge and practices of water management called Tidal River Management (TRM), which was effective enough to make a balance between sedimentation and subsidence in that area. But these local structures were weak and required continuous maintenance (IFI WATCH, 2006). After abolition of the Zamindary system, the maintenance of these structures became disrupted. As a result, the land water management problems became serious and crop failure occurred frequently. In 1959, to solve this problem, a big program of construction and maintenance of permanent polders was undertaken by the then government. In Khulna and part of the Jessore districts, 39 polders (1,014,100 acres) were constructed (Aftabuzzaman, 1990). During the decade of the 1960’s, the Coastal Embankment Project was implemented in the region enclosing most of the tidal wetlands within high embankments. Within a few years, the negative impacts of the project began to appear. The biodiversity of the region became degraded, river flows were affected and many rivers silted up, affecting navigation. By 1990, over a hundred thousand hectares of land in Khulna, Jessore and Satkhira districts became waterlogged (Sarker, 2012). A large number of studies on water logging in south and southwest Bangladesh have already been conducted. For instance, according to Rahman (2003), water-logging has been a regular phenomenon for the hundreds of villages adjacent to the Kopadak River in Jessore and Satkhira district of Bangladesh since 2000.
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Water logging and flood constitutes the main hazards in the South-West region resulting due to surplus water availability in the region. The severity of these hazards turns into a disaster due to existence of high population density with low socio-economic status. It is evident that the people in the Southwest region of Bangladesh has already incurred uncountable havoc to their lives and livelihoods by losing millions worth of properties and infrastructures due to water logging problem (Sarker, 2012). Water logging rotted the roots of economic activities of the people in the affected areas. The scale of damage is quite severe in terms of immediate loss of life, property, access to essential services (such as water and food), infrastructure and other assets which underpin livelihoods, health and sanitation, shelters etc. At the homestead level, the direct impacts are the loss of shelter, loss of animals and sensitive plants, less access to safe food and water, loss of basic services such as health or education (FAO, 2015).
A large number of studies on water logging in south and southwest Bangladesh have already been conducted. For instance, according to Rahman (2003), water-logging has been a regular phenomenon for the hundreds of villages adjacent to the Kopadak River in Jessore and Satkhira district of Bangladesh since 2000. The analysis of satellite images revealed that over the years, water-logged area had increased from 865 hectares in 1999 to 19, 467 hectares in 2008. According to the local people there were no water logging problems in 1994 at the Kopadak basin area, but this started from 1999.
At that time it was in small scale mainly in Jessore district but in the year 2000 the water logged area had increased significantly which was thought to be due to unusual water supply from upstream and heavy rainfall over the south west region of Bangladesh. Study in Biddanandakati revealed that water logging in some parts of Jikargacha and Monirampur was observed since 1985 and its magnitude was gradually increasing. The research study by Hassan (2014) detected water-logging area through Landsat imageries from 1972, 1989 and 2014 in Jessore district. A clear tendency of increasing agricultural damage due to water-logging from 1972 to 2014 is observed. The most vulnerable Upazilas in terms of damage are Monirampur, sadar, Keshabpur and Jhikargacha of Jessore district.
About 32,830 hectares were identified as waterlogged areas, which is 13% of the total land. From this analysis, it is found that there is an apparent decline of agricultural land between 1972 and 2014. Agriculture land was 218,769 ha in 1972, which reduced to 96,515 ha in 1989 and further reduced to 55,184 ha in 2014. The main reasons for this downward trend include population pressure, natural disaster, salinity, and urbanization as key driving forces.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:
What is the cause of water logging in Bangladesh?
The major reasons for water logging problem in Bangladesh, the disappearance of natural drainage systems and green spaces, Population growth, unplanned development, topography, waste management
Why does water clogging occur in rural and urban areas?
The problem of waterlogging in rural and urban areas is that urban development results in waterlogging due to the lack of adequate drainage systems, resulting in parts of urban areas being submerged for days.
What are the main causes of water pollution in Bangladesh?
The main causes of water pollution in Bangladesh human exercises like uncalled for transfer of civil and mechanical effluents and aimless utilizations of agrochemicals in agribusiness