Project Title: Water Governance and Community Based Water Management Project Number: G3

Study: Conducting FGD and KIIs in nine polders in the Southwestern Coastal Region of Bangladesh

Field Visit Report: Polder 3

Kaliganj and Debhata Upazila, District Satkhira, Bangladesh

Study Team Leader: Dr. M. Maniruzzaman

17 March 2012

1. Introduction
The Study Team conducted 13 FGDs and 17 KIIs in 8 villages during 17 to 21 st February, 2012 in polder 3 covering northern and southern halves of Kaliganj and Debhata Upazilas of Satkhira district. Study Team Leader (Dr. M. Maniruzzaman), Research Coordinator (Mostafa Bakuluzzaman), Field Coordinator (Mahanambrota Dash) and a total of 18 other researchers carried out the task. Ms. Camela Dewan (Research Manager) of the IWMI visited the area and stayed with the team from 9th to 11th February, 2012 and provided valuable guidance, feedback and cooperation. Mr. Masud Parvez of World Fish had regular contact with the team and observed field activities.

2. Schedule of Visit
February 07: Travel from Dhaka to Munshigonj union of Satkhira district and internal meeting of the team. February 08, 12, 15 (3days): visit polder 3, selected villages, observe the situation of polder and consult with community people to select venue for FGDs, participants of FGD, contact person for FGD and potential KII participants. February 17 to 19 (3 days): conduct FGDs in 8 villages of 4 unions (Tarali, Varasimla, Debhata and Parulia), and take video footage. February 21 to 23 (3 days): conduct KIIs in the selected villages, UP offices and Upazila level offices as per choice of the participants and take video footage in the study area February 24th to 27: Prepare FGD and KIIs notes, voice and editing of video documentary in Munshigonj guest house.

3. Participating Team members

Sl no 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Name Dr. M. Maniruzzaman Dr. Mohammad Osman Gani Mustafa Bakuluzzaman Mahanambrota Dash Rabi-Uzzaman Rajsree Nandi Md. Imtiyazur Rahman Sarifuddin Koushik Ahmed Designation Team leader Academic Supervisor Research Coordinator Field Coordinator cum facilitator/translator Facilitator/translator Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Facilitator /note taker Note taker/video photographer Translator

10. Sajjad Hossain 11. Zakia Sultana 12. Hura Jannath Binte Azad 13. Tasnuva Monowar 14. Abdullah Al Masud 15. Md. Shajalal Mohon

16. Abir Ahamed Talukder 17. Sayed Mahamudur Rahman 18. S.K. Siddik Ahamed 19. Subrata Saha

Translator Translator Videographer Video photographer

4. The Study Polder

The main focus of the task was to analyze the water governance and community participation. The polder has high potentials in agriculture and aquaculture. It is experiencing problems of drainage congestion, salinity and acute shortage of drinking water. Some basic information of the polder area is following: Polder 3 constructed in 1963-64 Total length of embankment 64.45 KM surrounding an area of 222.67 sq kms. The polder has 86.6 Kms canals and 32 sluice gates (source BWDB office, Kaligonj and Debhata). The study polder is spread over two upazilas (1) Debhata and (2) Kaligonj of Satkhira district. There are seven unions in the Polder 3. The unions include Bharasimla, Nalta, Taralia, Champaphul of Kaligonj upazila and Noapara, Debhata and Parulia of Debhata upazila. Total population of the area is about 171,000 and population density per sq km is 756. The land use in the polder 3 is dominated in agriculture and aquaculture (mainly bagda shrimp and fish). The polder is highly vulnerable to natural and manmade hazards like cyclone, storm surges, drainage congestion, salinity increase, land erosion, deforestation and illegal cuttings of embankment.

Shrimp Gher in Rangashisha village, Parulia UP. Inner dykes, inner canals, farms and farm dykes

Illegal cuts damaged embankment. Entry of salt water totally stopped paddy farming. Only shrimp farming is possible in such condition at village Rangashisha

5. Polder visit
The team visited BWDB offices in Debhata and Kaliganj Upazila, LGED office at Kaliganj, UP offices at Parulia and Tarali and 13 villages to conduct a total of 13 FGD and 17 KII. Lists of FGD in KII are provided below and locations shown in the map: 3

Details of FGDs conducted

Sl no Group Name Village and Union Date & time

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

General Group General group General Group General Group General Group General Group LCS/Landless, Male LCS/landless Male LCS/landless female LCS/landless female Union level water management committee (WMC) Union level water management committee (WMC) Sluice gate committee

Suelpur, Vara Shimla of Kaliganj Nichintapur, Parulia of Debhata Bashirabad, Parulia of Debhata Tarali village of Tarali UP of Kaliganj Rangashisha village, Parulia UP Village:Batuadanga, Tarali UP Village:Nichintapur, Parulia of Debhata Rangashisha, Parulia of Debhata Adorshogram, parulia Trali, Trali Trali union Debhata union Boshontopur, Debhata union

17 February 2012 17 February 2012 17 February 2012 19 February 2012 19 February 2012 19 February 2012 17 February 2012 19 February 2012 19 February, 2012 20 February, 2012 20 February, 2012 20 February, 2012 23 February

Details of KIIs conducted

Sl No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Category of KII Affected person Paddy Farmer Mixed farmer Big shrimp farmer Medium shrimp farmer Small shrimp farmer Venue Village/ union Trali village, tarali Nalta UP Chitra tetulpur, Tarali Varasimla Batuadanga, tarali Tarali Batuadanga, Tarali Tarali UP Parulia UP Golkhali, Tarali Up Trali UP Parulia UP Varasimla Tarali UP Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed House of UP member, Parulia Completed Status Bangla Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed English Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed

Female headed household 8. Female headed household 9. President WMC, Debhata upazila 10. Gateman, BWDB 11. Gateman, private (gate committee) 12. Gateman, Parulia 13. Illegal cutter/pipe inlet 14. Case hanging person 15. UP member, male, Parulia 16. UP member, female, Parulia

17. Upazila Engineer, LGED, Kaligonj

Kaligonj Upazila

Completed

Completed

Completed

Location of FGD and KIIs in Polder 3:

6. Meetings
Meeting 1:
Meeting with BWDB Officials: Rowshan Ali, Assistant Cook, BWDB (His father also was a BWDB gateman). Date of interview: 8/2/2012 (Nobody was present in the office except the Assistant cook and a guard) Information: Polder 3 was constructed in 1960s to grow crops by preventing saline water intrusion to agriculture land. There are two sluice gates are not properly operated and maintained due to lack of available manpower. It was reported that government stopped recruiting gateman and those recruited in the past have either died or retired. Just one is still in job but he is now posted at BWDB Upazilla office as guard. It means that there is none in the field level to take care of the day-to-day operation of the sluice gates. In the absence of the BWDB gateman, the gher owners open and close the gates as per their needs although they are not officially authorized for this. In many places, the gher owners hired gatemen and are paying them

privately. Often, the gher owners open the gate at midnight so that nobody can witness and complain specifically with the identification of the offenders. Lots of unauthorized cuts and pipe inlets are found in this area to take salt water from the river to the shrimp gher area. In many places, gher owners constructed private gates. In a few cases, BWDB approved design but most often private gates are constructed without permission. People avoid taking permission because it is time consuming due to bureaucratic system, often not giving decision. Further, the designs approved by the BWDB are more expensive to follow. Gher owners use the gates like private property and doe not want to give water to other people. Occasionally, they agree to give water but charge a fee. Other gher owners (excepting those controlling the gate) often dont want to pay for water and thus they cut the polder or make new pipe inlets to get their required water. Thus, the number of cuts and pipe inlets are increasing, risking the embankment. BWBD has mandate to operate and maintain polders including sluice gates. If fund is available BWDB calls for tender to reconstruct or repair by hiring contractor. But, in the absence of any project, there is not enough funds to maintain. If resources are available under Food for Work or Cash for Work, BWDB informs respective UP chairman and members. Then they engage local labour to execute the work. Some times local people repair embankment in emergencies. It is informed that the quality of maintenance or repair work carried out by local people is better than that of the contractor. The landless people lost several livelihoods opportunities due to shifting crop cultivation to shrimp farming. Crop farmers cannot cultivate crops. So, livestock decreased due to lack of grazing land and soil quality deteriorated etc. There is a gher owners association under the leadership of Mr. Nur Mohammad, UP chairman of Vara Shimla union who is a powerful and influential gher owner of this area. Paddy-shrimp conflict reduced as most farmers converted paddy field to shrimp gher. This happened as paddy cant be grown any way because of excess seepage of water from gher damages paddy. People avoid going to police, court and even to Upazila even if there are some conflicts. They try to resolve locally in the UP.

Problems:
Former gate committees are not active. New committees are formed under the leadership of UP Chair but this too is yet to become active. In the absence of BWDB gateman there is none from the government side to take care of the gates. The sluice gates are effectively occupied by local elites or large gher owners and they mange it either individually by large gher owner or collectively by a group of gher owners (a sort of informal committees are formed in such case). 6

Khas canals are leased out. This creates social conflicts because the small and marginal gher owners are negatively affected by excessive saline water due to selfishness of large shrimp farmers who get lease and take control of the canals. Womens suffering increased in many folds because they have to collect drinking from far away.

Suggestion Enhance community participation in polder management Activate committees under the leadership of UP chair Stop leasing out khas canals to influential people Government must provide enough fund for maintenance

Picture: Study team talking with local people

Meeting 2:
Meeting with Parulia UP Officials: 12 February 2012 The advanced team met with Parulia UP Chairman Mr. Alhaz Nur Mohammad and three members including Mr. Abdul Kader, Mr. Golam Faruque and Ms. Rehana Khatun. The following discussions were held with these UP officials: Picture: Study team talking with UP officials in Parulia Union Porishad.

Observation Most of the lands in the polder are now used for aquaculture, mainly Bagda farming. There are four types of land use which includes settlements along the rural roads in the elevated areas, crop agriculture next to settlement area and up to about three hundred meters towards the middle of the polder, only aquaculture in the low land area which is the main cultivation of the union and integrated rice and fish in two wetland areas like Khejur Bari Beel and Shegun Bari Beel. Bagda cultivation started in 80s Salinity level for bagda requires a range between 5 ppt. to 18 ppt. People usually start bagda cultivation when salinity remains 5 ppt. to 7 ppt in Jan-Feb. Bagda season includes January to October and Golda (in limited areas) from March to December. They also cultivate other fresh water species during monsoon mixed with shrimp. Additional sluice gates were constructed when people started to suffer from water logging. Parulia union has 5 sluice gates constructed by BWDB which includes 1 in Bhatshala, 2 in Comolpur, 1 in Panchdala and 1 in Chaltatala. In addition to BWDB gates, there are some small gates over drainage canals. There are private gates on which BWDB has no control. The large gher owners appoint khalashi (sluice gate operator) privately. There is no committee in the union parshad for management of the sluice gates. A committee was formed in the upazila level by Uttaran but that no longer active.

Problems due to poor management system Most of the rain water in Satkhira Sadar and Debhata drains through Suelpur gate which is almost damaged. So, during high tide, sea water enters into this area from river Ichamati through this gate. After flood in 2000, this problem increased The canals are silted up which creates water logging A tender has been called by BWDB to reconstruct the gate. A gher owner cooperation/association was formed in 2007 which is not active now. BWDB does not coordinate with this UP. They also engaged labour from other area not from locally. If UP Chair and MP belong to two opponent parties, particularly if the UP Chair is not government party activist, UPs role in water management is obstructed (by the government party or the MP)

Suggestions Re-excavate main khals including their branch canals Reconstruct and repair damaged gates UP should have major role in water management. Establish effective Water Management Association

Meeting 3:
Meeting with Tarali Union Parishad: 12/2/2012 Information: One side of the village has BWDB embankment. There are saline water khals inside the village Salinity has become severe due to sea level raising and stronger tides. Poor 88%, Middle and lower middle class 7%, Rich 5% Main economic activity: Shrimp farming (Bagda and Golda). Gher owner 20% of which 19% small gher owners and only 1% large gher owners but this 1% occupy most of the lands. Nearly 80% are landless, land-poor and day labour. UP chairman is the President of all the gate committees (ex-officio) Chairman in coordination with SO or SDE of BWDB maintain the sluice gates.

Problems: Canals silted up, rivers dying Sluice gated damaged, need repair Chingrikhali gate, Kholshikhali gate are highly vulnerable and may collapse any time Suggestions: Dredging of rivers Re-excavate canals Reconstruct and repair sluice gates

Meeting 4:
Fisheries Officer, Kaliganj Upazila, Date: 15 February 2012 Information: DoF has role in o water quality assurance for shrimp farming and marketing o Test soil and water quality by measuring PH. February to August- Bagda season, August to January Fresh water fish Land Ministry in association with BWDB, LGED, DoF etc. prepared land zoning report throughout the country. Implementation of this strategic plan may solve many of these problems

Problems: DoF not able to play its due role in water management Community involvement very low Present state of polder management by the BWDB is not effective. 9

Suggestions: Fisheries department should have intensive role in water management but they never involve in water management of any polder areas. They only test water and soil quality of the polders for aquaculture and give suggestions to the farmers. Community based water management should be placed Canals should be kept open Inter institutional coordination should be strengthen Coastal Zone Management Plan (as in the land zoning report) should be implemented

Meeting 5:
Meeting with Kazi Azad Hossain, SO, BWDB, Kaliganj: Date: 15.2.2012 Information: BWDB repairs sluice gates if there is an urgent need or if the embankment becomes vulnerable UP forms gate committees with people identified by the Chairman Khalashi (sluice gate operator) position has been omitted as this position is vacant for long time BWDB local offices make FIR against illegal cutters (files case with local police called first information report) Local administration (UNO) works in favour of rich Conflicts o Rice vs. shrimp o Policy vs. practice o Rules v. breaking rules

Problems:
The main reason of flood in Satkhira is to unplanned construction of gher areas, scattered rural roads, lack of coordination between LGED and BWDB etc. The gher owners collect money by the name of BWDB which is very harmful for this organization. Polder was constructed to prevent entry of sea water. But sluices are now used for pulling saline water inside the polder. This is just opposite of the objectives of polder construction

Suggestions:
Gher should be constructed at least half KM inside from the embankment. Polder to be for the purpose it has been constructed

Meeting 6:
Agriculture Officer, Debhata Upazila dated on 15th February, 2012 Information: Farming system has turned into aquaculture which is not sustainable Damage of embankment would damage crop agriculture totally To come back again in crop agriculture, it would take 10-15 years even if it would start today

Problems: Unplanned gher enhances water logging 10

Government Officials at upazila level are controlled by local leaders of ruling party There are too many pending cases in police stations and in the courts but no trials

Suggestions: Need inter departmental coordination No application of laws Government departments at local level should create awareness among people Planning should be based on peoples opinion

Meeting 7:
Upazila Engineer, LGED, Kaliganj dated on 15.2.2012 Information: Natural drainage system totally damaged Local influential persons are using khas lands providing bribe to respective officer and even Minister Proper drainage system should follow for each gher owner, if they want to export the shrimp. Everybody has rights on water, so must follow gher environmental policy. I do not know there is a policy or not. But should introduce a environmental and land-use policy for gher culture. Present gates of the polder 3 are not suitable for this area. Need to reconstruct these sluice gates on the favour of public demand. Operation and management must be involved government, local government and community people. Problems: BWDB designed sluice gate costing so high. Present water management and shrimp farming not eco-friendly Large shrimp farmers are benefited but small farmers are losers

Suggestions: Sense of ownerships to be built up We should re-thing about construction mechanism and costing cost-effective gates, not very expensive ones. Without licence no gher please. O&M should involve GoB agencies as well as local government and cmunities Environment friendly gher culture should be introduced. Position of gher should be at least 50 to 60 feet distance from embankment.

7. COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
1. Meeting with Community people of Rangashisha village in Parulia union It is a very remote area, where drinking water scarcity is acute and road communication is comparatively bad. This is the area where first gher culture of the Debhata Upazila started. Renowned shrimp exporter Mr. Wazad Ali Biswas started his gher business in this village. Still now his gher is very big. We do not find much trees and vegetation by the side of the road and in the community. Everywhere is shrimp gher and people are habituated with shrimp culture. Leased gher culture is very common in this area. 11

Information: This village is located in eastside of the polder along the right bank of the river Banshbari. 90% of the villagers are day labours and only 10% has own gher. Most day labours work in the gher. Women also work at gher Male labour gets Tk. 120 per day and female get Tk. 60 only Population: 30% Muslim and 70% Hindu The gher owners usually reside in urban areas The largest gher in this village is about 200 acre. The Biswanath Ghosh and Ajoy Ghosh are the owners of the large gher Gher farming started in this area in Pakistan period. Farmers also cultivated rice varieties like Kolan, Paknai, Geimuri (local variety) etc. Paddy production is not good because there is water logging. But if the water could be drained, then paddy production could be good. During the last monsoon, homesteads were flooded because rain water could not drain out. They stayed in flood shelter for about 1.5-2 months Majority of the sluice gates are made by private parties (influential gher owners). The gher owners control both BWDB and private the sluice gates 75% of the villagers do not get 3 meals round the year because they do not get work throughout the year in gher.

Problems:
The river is almost fully silted up. Gher owners control the gates Scarcity of drinking water is the main problem of the village. Water is contaminated by both salinity and arsenic. Women fetch drinking water from long away. Road communication is also a major problem for the villager especially during monsoon.

Suggestions:
Re-excavate canals and the Bansbari river Install deep tube well and provide pond sand filter Improve road

2. Batuadanga village of Tarali union: Date: 13 February 2012 The team visited Batuadanga village on 13 February 2012. The team met with few villagers including UP members, business man, shrimp farmers, Dafadar (village police) etc. Information: Number of family 580, Number of voters 1,006. Hindu 20% and Muslim 80%. Literacy 85% 80% day labour and poor, 20% rural middle class and 10% non-poor. Shrimp farming and crop agriculture are the main occupation 90% engaged in shrimp farming (bagda) and 10% in crop agriculture Batuadanga mouza has two sluice gates. One is at Tulshikhali over Ambari Khal and over Notun Khal at Kakshiali river. 12

All gates are controlled by UP Chairman and member and operated by gher owners A gate khalashi (gate operator) is recruited for each gate by the initiative of gher owners There is a rule to get license for shrimp farming but nobody takes it because of bureaucratic hassles. 98% of the gher owners do not have license. One reason for not taking license is the requirement of keeping drainage facility open for the neighbouring farmers. This rule is important but the GoB agencies (DOF, BWDB and Upazila) lack capacity and attitude to enforce it the good intention of the rule.

Problems: Nobody from BWDB takes care of the sluice gates (O&M) Farmers are disinterested to take license Government regulation is very weak

Suggestions: Simplify gher registration process so that shrimp farmers are encouraged to take license and follow rules

3. Visit to Suelpur village of Bhara Simla UP: (8/02/2012)

Information: The village is situated by the east side (left bank) of the bordering river Ichamoti. India is on the west side or right bank. Two sluice gates (IWM map gate numbers 05 and 06) located in this village. Majority of the land is utilized for gher. Some land is used for paddy farming. HYV boro plantation was found in some land. Professions of the villagers are shrimp farming, paddy farming, day labour People are in the favour of mixed agriculture like paddy and golda and white fish. Recently they have started cultivating pan (betel leaves) which is very profitable but requires high land with good drainage facility.

Problems: Too many illegal cuts and pipe inlets There is no existence of gate committee

Suggestions: Need formation of a Water Management Association in the Upazila level and WMG in the village level

4. Visit Nichitopur village of Parulia union (08/2/2012)

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The following information obtained through consultation with UP members Akram Gazi, Nowab Ali, Alauddin, Mukaram and Kader Member and others passers-by of the community. Information: Visited villages where three sluice gates (IWM map gate numbers 22, 23 and 24) are located All the three gates are damaged, shutters not working East side of the polders is gher farming area. There is a narrow strip of crop farming area Changmara gate (gate number 23) is located in the border of two UP wards number 9 and 6 Almost 90% of the land is under shrimp farming. Community level information reveals that sluice gate 23 and 24 are not constructed by the BWDB. Actually these two gates were built by the community people where BWDB provided technical supports and design.

Problems: There is an ownership and management conflict for changmari canal and gate 24, because this canal falls in two villages. The adjoining gher area also belong the farmers of the two neighbouring villages represented by two UP members of Wards 6 and 9. All three sluice gates lack maintenance and need immediate repair.

Suggestion: Repair sluice gates Need Water Management Committee representing all stakeholders

5. Findings of FGDs and KIIs

Total 13 FGDs have been conducted in polder 3 from 17th March to 21st February, 2012. The FGDs include 6 general, 5 LCS/landless and 2 WMA.

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FGD with LCS group in Nischintopur village of Parulia union.

FGD in Rangashisha village with landless groups

Information: Polder 3 was established in 1963-64 for agriculture practices in the area. All BWDB gates were established for the purpose of preventing entry of salt water which is now used for bringing salt water inside of the polder. The most alarming situation is that paddy area is decreasing rapidly due to unplanned development of fisheries projects especially shrimp ghers. Livelihood conditions of the agriculture labours, marginal and small farmers, fishermen and landless people are becoming vulnerable due to unplanned loss of land and other natural resources Natural and manmade hazards like cyclone, storm surge, land erosion, water logging, drainage congestion, salinity. Water management is dominated by gher owners and UP Officials

15

Water management institution: Khalashi (gate operator), sluice gate committee, UP, gher owners, Upazila level water management committee (managed by NGO), BWDB, LGED, Upazila land office, department of agriculture, fisheries and forest. Crop culture: T-aman, T-aus, Buro-HYV, wheat, master seed, mixed culture ( paddy and shrimp), fellow t-aman, vegetable.

Problems: Too many illegal cuts, pipe inlets and private gates. Unplanned gher unsustainable Poor management of sluice gates Canals and rivers silted up. Poor drainage and prolonged water logging. Scarcity of drinking water and fresh water for irrigation. No inclusive peoples participation in water management Loss of biodiversity and eco-system due to unplanned human interventions

Suggestions: Establish proper water management association which will be inclusive and participatory Agriculture and aquaculture should be planned so that they are sustainable Install more deep tube well and provide pond sand filter facility for drinking water Re-excavate canals, rivers to reduce drainage congestion

8. Overall Problems and Suggestions Problems

Polder O&M Polder was constructed to prevent entry of sea water. But sluices are now used for pulling saline water inside the polder. This is just opposite of the objectives of polder construction The rivers, canals silted up. Sluice gates damaged, need repair/ reconstruction Scarcity of drinking water. Water is contaminated by both salinity and arsenic. Road communication is a major problem for the villager especially during monsoon. The main reason of flood in Satkhira is to unplanned construction of gher areas, scattered rural roads, lack of coordination between LGED and BWDB etc. Unplanned gher enhances water logging Social and Elite Capture: Women fetch drinking water from long away. Livelihoods security of the poor and women worsened Gher owners control the gates 16

The sluice gates are effectively occupied by local elites or large gher owners and they mange it either individually by large gher owner or collectively by a group of gher owners (a sort of informal committees are formed in such case). Khas canals are leased out. This creates social conflicts because the small and marginal gher owners are negatively affected by excessive saline water due to selfishness of large shrimp farmers who get lease and take control of the canals. The gher owners collect money by the name of BWDB which is very harmful for this organization.

Mismanagement: Government regulation is very weak Farmers are disinterested to take license Too many illegal cuts and pipe inlets and private gates

Institutional: Nobody from BWDB takes care of the sluice gates (O&M) In the absence of BWDB gateman there is none from the government side to take care of the gates. DoF (also other GoB agencies) not able to play due role in water management Present state of polder management by the BWDB is not effective. Government Officials at upazila level are controlled by local leaders of ruling party There are too many pending cases in police stations and in the courts but no trials BWDB does not coordinate with this UP. If UP Chair and MP belong to two opponent parties, particularly if the UP Chair is not government party activist, UPs role in water management is obstructed (by the government party or the MP)

Community Participation: Community participation very low Water management association/ gate committee not existing or ineffective and are not inclusive There is an ownership and management conflict for changmari canal and gate 24, because this canal falls in two villages. The adjoining gher area also belong the farmers of the two neighbouring villages represented by two UP members of Wards 6 and 9.

Suggestions

Re-excavate canals and the Bansbari river. Khas canals should be kept open
Reconstruct and repair sluice gates

Install deep tube well and provide pond sand filter Improve roads
Gher should be constructed at least half KM inside from the embankment. Polder to be used for the purpose it has been constructed Fisheries department should have intensive role in water management but they never involve in water management of any polder areas. Community based water management should be in place 17

Inter institutional coordination should be strengthened Coastal Zone Management Plan (as in the land zoning report) should be implemented UP should have major role in water management. Enhance community participation in polder management Activate committees under the leadership of UP chair Stop leasing out khas canals to influential people Government must provide enough fund for maintenance Simplify gher registration process so that shrimp farmers are encouraged to take license and follow rules Need formation of a Water Management Association in the Upazila level and WMG in the village level Agriculture and aquaculture should be planned so that they are sustainable Need inter departmental coordination Government departments at local level should create awareness among people Planning should be based on peoples opinion

18