Water supply project starts in two coastal dists in July

The women and children affairs ministry is set to implement a water supply and livelihood project primarily in two coastal districts-- Khulna and Satkhira-- with Green Climate Fund (GCF) from July this year, a UNDP official said.

GCF has approved US$ 24.98 million for Bangladesh to implement any climate change related project for the first time. The Bangladesh government will contribute US$ 8.0 million for 'enhancing adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women to cope with climate change-induced salinity'.

The number of direct beneficiaries of this six-year project has been estimated at 245,516 out of total 719,229. There will be rainwater harvesting and filtration system from 41 ponds, 25,000 households and about 80 school buildings.

United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) climate change specialist Mamunur Rashid told the FE that the project was submitted in 2016. But GCF wanted scientific proof that salinity in coastal areas has been increasing due to climate change and not for shrimp farming.

"It took us one year to collect scientific evidence and modeling to prove that salinity was increasing due to sea level rise, not for development failure. People were shifting their agricultural practices from paddy to shrimp as they failed to cultivate rice in that saline water. The data collection in two districts cost US$ 1.0 million," he said.

Now UNDP, the accredited entity of GCF, has been collecting data for four more districts which are also identified as priority areas by the government due to their high exposure to climate-induced salinity and disasters.

He said it is estimated that the beneficiaries of the community water supply points US$ 5 and a household will have to pay US$ 17 per year for minor maintenance as per the condition set by GCF to ensure maintenance and community participation. The Bangladesh government will support with Tk 40 million for major repair or at the time of disasters.

Mr Mamun said no woman will have to walk more than one kilometre whereas now they walk, on an average, three kilometres to collect water. Priority will be given to those households where women have to walk a long distance and there are disabled people.

But climate change activists criticised the fact that despite being a priority project of the government in National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) 2005 to supply drinking water to coastal communities through the pipeline to combat enhanced salinity due to sea level rise, the government has taken initiative to provide rainwater.

Network on Climate Change Bangladesh (NCCB) coordinator Mizanur Rahman said the government has been collecting money from the poor people, although water is a basic right. It is also creating a scope for water trade, he claimed.

[email protected]