Report on Prepared by - Poverty Environment · Coastal Areas of Bangladeh”Project Prepared by: Practical Action Bangladesh 24 July 2011 Research Team: Kazi Shahidur Rahman Farhana

Report on

“Climate Vulnerability Mapping and Multipurpose Baseline Survey in Four

Selected Village under “Community Based Adaptation in Vulnerable

Coastal Areas of Bangladeh”Project

Prepared by: Practical Action Bangladesh 24 July 2011

Research Team:

Kazi Shahidur Rahman Farhana Sharmin Zahid Hussain Shyamal Kanti Barman Qazi Wadud Newaz Anwar Hossain

Climate Vulnerability Map and Multi-Purpose Baseline in Four Selected Village

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Table of Content

Abbreviation ...................................................................................................... 4

Executive Summery .......................................................................................... 5

1. Backgroundof the Study ................................................................................ 9

1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 9

1.2. Objectives ................................................................................................. 10

1.3. Methodology ............................................................................................. 10

1.4. Scope and limitations ............................................................................... 11

2. Physical and Socio-Economic Profile of the Area ....................................... 12

2.1.Village Profile ............................................................................................ 12

2.2.Location and Key Features ....................................................................... 12

2.3. Infrastructure and Institutions ................................................................... 16

2.4. Demographic Information ......................................................................... 16

2.5. Landuse Pattern ....................................................................................... 16

2.6. Livelihoods ............................................................................................... 17

2.7. Housing, WASH and Energy .................................................................... 18

3. Climate Change Riskand Vulnerability ........................................................ 20

3.1. Climate Risk Assessment ......................................................................... 20

3.2. Exposure to Hazard .................................................................................. 20

3.3. Physical and Socio-Economic Fragility .................................................... 20

3.4. Community Resilience .............................................................................. 25

3.5. Climate Change Risk ................................................................................ 25

4. Investment Plan for the Project ................................................................... 27

4.1. Adaptation Options ................................................................................... 27

4.2. Options for Agriculture Sector .................................................................. 29

4.2.1. Vegetable cultivation ............................................................................... 29

4.2.2. Saline tolerant rice .................................................................................. 29

4.2.3. Mushroom and or orchid culture .............................................................. 29

4.3. Options for Fisheries Sector ..................................................................... 30

4.3.1. Hapa nursing of shrimp post larvae (PL) ................................................. 30

4.3.2. Shrimp cultivation in closed system/inlet and outlet facilities................... 30


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4.3.3. Crab fattening .......................................................................................... 30

4.3.4. Domestication of wild fishes .................................................................... 30

4.3.5. Promotion of GIFT Tilapia ....................................................................... 30

4.3.6. Cage aquaculture .................................................................................... 31

4.4. Options for Livestock Sector .................................................................... 31

4.4.1. Poultry/Swan rearing ............................................................................... 31

4.4.2. Fodder cultivation (German grass on dykes/embankment) ..................... 32

4.4.3. Sheep rearing .......................................................................................... 32

4.4.4. Stall feeding (goat/cow/sheep) ................................................................ 32

4.4.5. Beef Fattening ......................................................................................... 32

4.5. Options for Drinking Water Sector............................................................ 32

4.5.1. Pond re-excavation & dyke rising ............................................................ 32

4.5.2. Rain water harvesting.............................................................................. 33

4.5.3. Solar Powered Desalination Unit ............................................................. 33

4.6. Options for Infrastructure sector ............................................................... 33

4.6.1. Plinth rising .............................................................................................. 33

4.6.2. Construction of pucca house ................................................................... 33

4.6.3. Shelter for animals .................................................................................. 33

4.6.4. Construction of community based small cyclone shelter ......................... 34

4.7. Options for Clean Energy Sector.............................................................. 34

4.7.1. Solar energy ............................................................................................ 34

4.7.2. Biogas ..................................................................................................... 34

4.7.3. Biofuel ..................................................................................................... 34

4.8. Options for off Farm IGAs ........................................................................ 35

4.8.1. Farmers’ Service Centers (FSCs) ........................................................... 35

4.8. Prioritization of Adaptation Options .......................................................... 35

5. Conclusions ................................................................................................. 38


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Abbreviation

ADB = Asian Development Bank

BCCSAP = Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan

CVCA = Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis

CRA = Community Risk Assessment

CI = Corrugated Iron

DoF = Department of Fisheries

DANIDA = Danish International Development Agency

FGD = Focus Group Discussion

FAO = Food and Agriculture Organization

GIS = Geographic Information System

HH = Household

PAB = Practical Action Bangladesh

PL = Post Larvae

Union Parishad = The lowest elected local government body of Bangladesh; Council of a union

Katcha road = Earth made road

Eidgah = Muslim’s prayer place for religious festival

Pacca = Concrete road

Madrasah = Children’s school for Islamic education

Ashar, Sraban, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Agrahyan, Poush, Magh, Falgun, Chaitra

= Name of the Bengali calendar month

* Local terms are in italics.

Executive Summery Aila despite being weak category cyclone caused huge damage to the environment; infrastructure and the livelihoods of the people in Kaliganj and Shyamnagar upazilas. Impacts of the cyclone have been magnified largely because of climate change.

Practical Action (PA) has been working in Bangladesh from 1990, focusing on disaster risk reduction and climate change adoption. It has initiated a pilot project in the Aila affected area, funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). To establish a multi-purpose baseline for the project and to identify adaptation options within the scope of the project it commissioned a study.

Objectives of the study include:

Develop baseline information (geo-physical, socio-economic, livelihood and Adaptation) for Project area;

Develop Climate Vulnerability Map of the project area;

Identify and prioritize possible Adaptation options based on vulnerability assessment and scope of the project;

The methodology of the study is as follows:

Literature Review - review of wide range of literature had been made including i.e. project and organization documents, document produced by different international and national development organizations.

Quantitative Information Collection- limited scale questionnaire survey in the four intervention villages.

Qualitative Information Collection - qualitative information is gathered through CVCA tools, participatory mapping exercises, historical time line, and livelihood and vulnerability matrix.

Adaptation Options - a range of Adaptation options identified through the fieldwork and prioritized applying force field analysis.

Scope of the study was defined by the terms of reference, and the limitation included:

Study was conducted only in four adjacent villages

Village level climate change secondary data were not available; the study relied solely on community perception

The study was focused on only the listed project inputs i.e. agriculture and aquaculture adaptation, housing, drinking water supply and clean energy source.

Physical and socio-economic profile of the area:

The study area covers four villages in Satkhira district. Two of the villages- namely, Kalikapur and Ramnagar are in Krishnanagar union under Kaliganj upazila and the two other villages, namely, Borokuput and Boyarshing are in Atulia union under Shyamnagar upazila. These two unions share a common border, which is marked by a canal.

Kalikapur shares its boarder in the west with Ramnagar. A canal passes through the village. It has 5 kilometer of the tarmac road; 3 kutcha roads, put together 4 kilometers in length and

an embankment running along the Golghasia riverbank. Ramnagar has a tarmac road and katcha roads total length of which add up to 4 kilometers; a canal runs along its border in

southeast corner. Borokuput shares common borders in Boyarshing. It has a tarmac road and 5 kutcha roads, put together 4 kilometers in length; and canal, originating from river

Kholpetua. Boyarshing has 2 kilometers of tarmac road, two brick built roads, each, 2


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kilometers in length, a katcha road along the bank of a canal that marks village boarder in

the south and the east.

Public infrastructure and institutions in Kalikapur include 4 mosques, 1 primary school, 1 madrasah, a post office and 2 market places. Ramnagar has 2 mosques, 1 eidgah, 1 primary school, 1 high school and a market place. Borokuput has 2 mosques, 2 temples, 2 primary schools and brickfield. Boyarshing has 2 mosques, 1 temple, 1 primary school, 1 high school and a NGO (NGF) office. Borokuput and Boyarshing are connected with power line.

According to the Census 2001, there are 5,261 people in Kalikapur; 1,839 in Ramnagar; 1,415 in Borokuput and 1,617 in Boyarshing. Women outnumber men in Kalikapur but in other three village proportions of men are higher or similar to that of women.

In all four village dwelling houses are along the roadside and embankment. In Kalikapur, Ramnagar and Borokuput people use their fields for both crop cultivation and shrimp culture. Rice is the main crop for these villages. However, shrimp farms occupy nearly in all fields in Boyarshing.

Majority of the households in all 4 villages is day labor; most of them pursue more than one occupation. Employment opportunity, locally, for day labors vary seasonally; however, the lean periods are different for different villages. To augment income, households try to keep livestock and poultry however due to salinity intrusion it has become increasingly difficult.

Most of the households have homestead and latrines of their own.

Each of the villages has few brick-built houses. For roofing, most of the households used iron or asbestos sheet, excepting in Kalikapur where they used thatch for roofing. Also, most of the house has mud or thatch walls excepting in Ramnagar where majority of them has brick walls.

All households in Kalikapur use tube-well water. In Ramnagar, they get water from tube-well and PSF. People in Borokuput and Boyarshing collect rainwater as well they buy water for drinking.

Households in Boyarshing use wood fuel for cooking. In other 3 villages they use combinations of wood fuel and cow dung. All households in the 4 villages have to buy wood for fuel.

Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability:

The study looked at Exposure, Fragility and Resilience to hazards and climate change. Exposure is defined as the extent of climatic events to which the community is exposed. Fragility refers to the potential impacts of the hazards and climate change on the environment, assets and livelihoods. Resilience specifies the capabilities of the community to absorb the impacts of the hazards and climate change.

Exposure to Hazard: being low-lying and adjacent to sea, the area is exposed to cyclone, tidal surge and salinity intrusion. Embankments constructed in the 60s provided protection against tidal inundation. Shrimp culture has accelerated the rates of salinity intrusion. Cyclone Aila destroyed the embankments and exposed the villages to tidal inundation. Also, the area became warmer and more humid with shorter and intense winter. The regular astronomic surges became more severe and cyclones became more frequent and devastating.

Physical and Socio-Economic Fragility: embankments were weakened by the shrimp farmers and breached by Aila. They became susceptible to tidal surges; and provide very little protection against seawater inundation. Increasing levels of salinity in the water and soil had seriously reduced availability of potable water. Also, crop cultivation and shrimp culture – the main sources of livelihood of the people, are extremely susceptible to tidal surges. Furthermore, caused serious reduction in the employment opportunities for the day labors and expedited social and economic inequality.


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Community Resilience: most of the households have homestead of their own; despite the devastation by Aila, they have been able to rebuild their houses. They pursue multiple occupations and during the lean period, day labors migrate, temporarily, to other places where jobs more available. They are keen to experiment and adapt new varieties that may grow in saline environment. Also, the communities have developed social systems to maintain embankments through voluntary and community based approach.

Climate Change Risk: Communities perceive climate change risks in terms of exposure to hazards. The risks generate broadly from two elements, i) environmental and ii) socio-economic. Environmental elements are salinity levels of water (both surface and ground water) and soil. Crop based agriculture and livelihood surrounding that are less sustainable in such saline environment. Socio-economic elements are transitional stress during the shift from crop cultivation to shrimp culture. Market exchange dominated the supply chain management in shrimp culture. It adversely affects the traditional coping practices that are largely rely on social exchange.

Dynamic pressure generated from these includes:

Severe scarcity of potable water

Low prospect for crop cultivation, including vegetables

Absence of grazing land and difficulties to keep domestic animals.

Incompatible land leasing arrangement – securing land through annual lease contract

that prevent investing for long term improvement of the farming land;

Poor water management system that does not allow control water flow necessary to

optimize returns from shrimp culture.

Lack of technologies and services for disease control in shrimp culture.

These dynamic pressures force unsafe conditions upon the people living the area.

Disease prevalence, diarrhea and skin diseases in particular, has increased;

Households have to spend more, both in terms of money and time, to meet their daily

need of drinking water.

Farmers are force into shrimp culture abandoning crop cultivation and in the process,

become dependent on market exchange.

Availability of animal protein from domestic animals and birds has been reduced and

it is adversely affecting children’s nutrition.

Shrimp crops in these ponds are highly susceptible to temperature fluctuation and

disease outbreak.

Poor water management hinders production; and often farmers incur heavy losses.

Investment Plan for the Project:

Adaptation Options: Because of salinity intrusion, land ownership pattern and poor water management system the nature and extent of vulnerability in the region are different from that in the other parts of the country. In this context, Practical Action- Bangladesh is trying to identify and pilot adaptation options for agriculture, fisheries, livestock, safe drinking water and infrastructure sector.

The feasibility of the proposed adaptation options were prioritized considering the resource base, technology and market potentials.

Considering the above factors attractive adaptation options are shown below-


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Adaptation options attractive for Shyamnagar are hydro phonics in tanks, pit cultivation of vegetable, crab fattening, hapa nursing of shrimp PL, sheep rearing, rainwater harvesting, plinth raising, pacca/semi-pacca building, solar energy and farmers service centre.

Adaptation options attractive for Kaligonj are saline tolerant rice, vegetable cultivation, dyke cropping, promotion of tilapia, hapa nursing of shrimp PL, fodder cultivation, sheep rearing, rainwater harvesting, plinth raising, pacca and semi-pacca building, solar energy and farmer service center

The coastal region has always been exposed to seasonal cyclone, tidal incursion, and salinity intrusion. Embankments were constructed to protect the area from tidal inundation. It enabled the local farmer grow rice. Subsequently, they started shrimp culture. Embankments caused irreversible changes in the environment and natural resource base. Salinity levels in surface and ground water and in the soil have increased to the extent that crop based agriculture became less tenable.

Clearly, there is a need for experimenting and innovating technologies and system for saline aqua culture, salt tolerant crop cultivation, accessing potable water, cyclone-safe housing and disease controlling. The first step of the process is to identify, through rigorously testing feasibility, a range of practicable options within the reach of individual households or the local communities. The next step is to develop policy instrument and macro level intervention to help communities pursue the viable options.

Consultations and expert opinions suggested several Aila recovery and climate change adaptation options for the communities in the Practical Action operation area. Force field analysis apply criteria – i.e. resource base technology and market potential, indicates some of those are highly potential and attractive for piloting.


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1. Background of the Study

1.1 Introduction

Notwithstanding Aila was considered a low category cyclone and caused a low death toll, its impact continues through a long span of time making sufferings severe than the previous. Initially it caused less damage but impact of resulted damage keeps increasing as time passes which have accelerated the climate change impact as well.

Aila hit Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh on 25 May 2009, causing immediate death of about 325 people including massive infrastructural damages. Albeit Aila was a weak category cyclone by definition, its impacts over economy outweigh the impacts of super cyclone Sidr. Damage to embankments resulted prolonged and continued of tidal incursion during daily high tides and in particular, during periods of full moon. It seriously impeded the self-recovery process normally seen in Bangladesh following disaster events.

The climate change threat for Bangladesh is crucial for development as its national economy strongly depends on agriculture and natural resources; both are sensitive to changing climatic conditions, such as changes in the pattern of precipitation, flooding and heat waves as well as sea level rise. Due to its location in the delta of major river systems, Bangladesh is very much depended on good coordination mechanisms with its neighboring countries, especially India. The three main rivers, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna, have a catchments area of about 1.7 million sq. km. and 92.5% of which is located outside the country. In general, the climate is characterized by high temperature, heavy rainfall, often excessive humidity during monsoon and marked inter and intra seasonal variation. Average annual rainfall for the country is about 2,200 mm. About 47% populations are land less and live below the poverty line.

Coastal areas of Bangladesh are most vulnerable to climate change due to sea level rise, salinity intrusion, flooding, increased frequency and intensity of cyclone and storm surges, and increased costal and riverbank erosion. Bangladesh has adopted the Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009 which is the basis to combat climate change impacts. The strategy is to integrate climate change constraints and opportunities into the overall plan and programs involving all sectors and processes for economic and social development. This national plan for disaster management noted Bangladesh as a disaster- prone country and its hazard risk arises from geographic location, land characteristics, multiple rivers and the monsoon. For managing disaster it emphasizes on three broad areas i). Consider risk and consequences of disasters, ii) Involving community for preparedness program and iii) Priority is given to the non-structural measures. The plan seeks to reduce the risk of people, especially the poor and the disadvantaged, from the effects of natural, environmental and human induced hazards to a manageable and acceptable humanitarian level and to have them in place of an efficient emergency response system capable of handling large scale disasters.

Practical Action (PA) is working in Bangladesh from 1990 with a mission to change lives of people living below poverty line through the use and demonstration of appropriate small-scale technology. It also focuses on disaster risk reduction and climate change Adaptation for sustaining benefit of the community and contribution to the national government effort. PA initiates a pilot project in the Aila affected area, funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), with the objective to mainstream CCA and DRR at community level planning and programming. The targeted vulnerable groups include climate-induced disaster affected poor families living in the exposed and vulnerable hotspot of coastal zones having very little capacity to cope with extreme weather events and the community people who are solely depending on harvesting natural resources.

PA engaged a group of consultants to prepare a multi-purpose baseline for the project including investment plan at the beginning of the project to measure the progress of the project as well as identification of an Adaptation options.


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1.2. Objectives

The objectives to prepare the vulnerability map and multi-purpose baseline for the project are:

Develop baseline information (geo-physical, socio-economic, livelihood and Adaptation) for Project area;

Develop climate vulnerability Map of the project area;

Identify and prioritize possible Adaptation options based on vulnerability assessment and scope of the project;

1.3. Methodology

In a meeting with Practical Action’s senior staff on May 28, 2011 the area and approach of the baseline study were agreed. The approach will focus on participatory method involving local people and stakeholders. It was agreed that the Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) tool would be used for data collection and profiling of the area. The CVCA is a methodology for gathering, organizing and analyzing information on the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of communities, households and individuals. It has been promoted by CARE International and used widely in Bangladesh for Community Risk Assessment (CRA)1.

The methodology in detail is as follows:

a. Literature Review: A review of wide range of literature had been made including i. project and organization documents, ii. Document produced by different international and national development organizations. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and National Plan for Disaster Management 2008-2015, Bangladesh had also been reviewed. Key questions and checklist for CVCA, Interactive Group Discussion and Key Informant Interview as well the questionnaire survey has been developed on the basis of the literature review.

b. Quantitative Information Collection: A questionnaire survey has been conducted at limited scale in the four intervention villages (Borokuput & Boyarshing village under Atulia Union of Shyamnagar upazilla and Kalikapur & Ramnagar Village under Krishnanagar Union of Kaliganj upazilla). It focused on information about income earning activities, domestic animals and birds, quality of house, latrine use, source of drinking water, use of fuel for cooking for the individual households. SPSS was used for data analysis and develop quantitative tables.

c. Qualitative Information Collection: CVCA tools had been used for qualitative information collection. Participatory mapping exercises conducted to get information about hazards and resources; historical time line used to determine variation in hazard intensity, magnitude and frequency; crop and livelihood calendar were used to see the livelihood pattern; Vulnerability Matrix were used to examine the sensitivity of livelihood to the hazards and perturbation. To validate data, information collected through the participatory processes and mapping exercise were shared with the community people.

Hazard and resource maps prepared by the communities were adapted to ‘Google Map’ and translated that into GIS coordinate map.

d. Adaptation Options: Wide range of Adaptation options had been identified and listed on the

basis of field level observation as well as discussion with the key informant. Adaptation options were evaluated on the basis of criteria resources (access, availability and suitability); Technology (input, availability, practice, cost, profit and employment generation); and Market Potential (demand, current marketing practices and access). For prioritization of the Adaptation options force field analysis had been conducted. Final report had been prepared on the basis of the feedback provided by PAB team.

1Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Handbook, CARE-International, www.careclimatechange.org


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1.4. Scope and limitations

Practical action, “Community Based Adaptation in Vulnerable Costal Areas of Bangladesh” project has planned “piloting climate change adaptation activities and improving resilience”. It already has outline the activities define the area and determine the coverage for the piloting. This study was commissioned to identify options and opportunities at implementation of the planned activities. Therefore, the study was conducted only in four villages that, nevertheless, comprise the whole of the practical action Bangladesh intervention area. It was anticipated that the major hazards of the regions (i.e. cyclone, tidal surge or drought) are unlikely to show any intra-village variation in terms of exposure or impact. Similarly, climate change manifestation will be similar at all parts of the intervention area.

Also disaggregated data for climate change variable at village level are not available presently so, study really solely on community perception.

Furthermore, the study focus on only the listed project inputs i.e. agriculture and aquaculture adaptation, housing, drinking water supply and clean energy source. It did not investigate the issues surrounding the other elements of livelihood, poverty, socio-economic status or climate change vulnerability.


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2. Physical and Socio-economic Profile of the Area

2.1. Village Profile

The project area of Practical Action covers four villages in Satkhira district in the southwest corner of the country. Two of the villages- namely, Kalikapur and Ramnagar are in Krishnanagar union under Kaliganj upazila and the two other villages, namely, Borokuput andBoyarshingare in Atulia union under Shyamnagar upazila.

Krishnanagar is located in the north of Atulia. These two unions share a common boarder, which is marked by a canal. River Golghasia that flows from north to south and joins river Kholpetua, marks the east border of Krishnanagar; and river Kholpetua marks the eastern boarder of Borokuput village.

2.2. Location and Key Features

Kalikapur: Kalikapur lies in the south of Bishnupur union and shares its boarder in the west with Ramnagar. River Golghasia marks its boarder in the east and separates it from Ashashuni upazila. A canal passes through the village, and running east to west. It cuts the village in two segments. About 5 kilometers of the tarmac road that connects the village to Baliadanga, which runs through the village. In addition, the village has 3 kutcha roads, put

together 4 kilometers in length. Also, an embankment runs along the Golghasia riverbank.

Map 1.1: GIS Social Map of Kalikapur, June 2011


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Ramnagar: Shares common border with Kalikapur in the east. The tarmac road that connects Kalikapur and Srirampur marks its borders in the west. This road then turns right and runs through the village, cutting it diagonally into two halves. Five katcha roads run through the village, total length of which adds up to 4 kilometers. Also, a canal runs along its border in southeast corner.

Map 1.2: GIS Social Map of Ramnagar, June 2011


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Borokuput: The village shares common borders in Boyarshing village in the south, and river Kholpetua marks its boarder in the east. An embankment runs along the bank of this river. Four kilometers of the Noabeki-Munshiganj road, running north to south, cuts the village in two parts. Five katcha roads, put together 4 kilometers in length, connect different parts of

the village. A canal, originating from river Kholpetua and running east to west, again divides the village into eastern and western segments.

Map 1.3: GIS Social Map of Borokuput, June 2011


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Boyarshing: Shares common border with Borokuput in the north. Two kilometers of the Noabeki-Munshiganj road mark its boarder in the east. Two brick built roads, each, 2 kilometers in length, connect the village to Noabeki-Munshiganj road at two different points. A katcha road runs along the bank of a canal, which marks village boarder in the south and

the east.

Map 1.4: GIS Social Map of Boyarshing, June 2011


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Sex ratio and literacy rate Kalikapur Ramnagar Borokuput Boyarshing Sex Ratio (M/F)*100 82 105 107 100 Literacy Rate (male) 44.06 47.79 69.71 58.54 Literacy Rate (female) 34.98 39.62 46.61 36.17

Source: Census 2001, BBS

HH and Population Kalikapur Ramnagar Borokuput Boyarshing

Households

1,141

364

280 311

Population

5,261

1,839

1,415

1,607

Source: Census 2001, BBS

2.3. Infrastructure and Institutions

Public infrastructure and institutions in Kalikapur include 4 mosques, one primary school, one madrasah and a post office. Also, there are two local markets in the village.

There are 2 mosques, one Eidgah, one primary school and a high school in Ramnagar. Also, there is a market place in the village.

Borokuput has 2 mosques, 2 temples and 2 primary schools. Power line runs along the Noabeki-Munshigong road and connects several parts of the village for power supply. Also, there is a brickfield in the village.

Boyersingh has 2 mosques, one temple, one primary school and a high school. A local NGO (NGF) has its office in this village. One corner of the village is connected to power line.

2.4.Demographic Information

According to the Census 2001, among the four villages Kalikapur is the largest by household count. The Census reports 5,261 people in 1,141 households. Borokuput is the smallest, having 280 households. Updated estimates from Atulia Union Parishad suggest significant increase- 2,430 people in 481 households and 2,118 people in 410 households for Borokuput and Boyarshing respectively. Updates from Krishnanagar are not available to ascertain the changes for Kalikapur and Ramnagar.

Women outnumber men in Kalikapur but in other three village proportions of men are higher or similar to that of women. Literacy rates for males are higher in the villages under Atulia union. However, female literacy rate for all four villages are consistently lower than the literacy rate of the corresponding villages.

2.5. Landuse Pattern

Dwelling houses are along the roadside and embankment, as is the common practice in rural Bangladesh. Fields nearer to the main river are used for shrimp farming. In Kalikapur larger proportion of the farmland is under shrimp culture. Contrastingly, shrimp farms occupy only small proportion of the farmland in Ramnagar. In Borokuput, shrimp farms are in the eastside of Noabeki-Munshiganj road and crop fields are located at the Western side of the road. However, shrimp farms occupy nearly in all fields in Boyarshing.


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PP. of HHs have domestic animals

Kalikapur Ramnagar Borokuput Boyarshing

N = 40 N = 40 N = 40 N = 40

Cow* 20.0 35.0 12.5 10.0

Goat* 17.5 75.0 22.5 7.5

Poultry* 42.5 80.0 47.5 30.0

* Multiple options

Rice is the main field crop in the area. Only in Ramnagar some households grow jute, maze and potato. They also grow vegetables such as eggplant, tomato and cucumber as filed crop. Households in all four villages grow vegetables in their homesteads. However, because of high salinity, vegetables do not grow well in Boyarshing.

2.6. Livelihoods

Households pursue more than one occupation, which include day labor, crop cultivation, shrimp farming, forest resource harvesting, open water fishing, van pulling, carpentry, poultry farming, petty business and salaried employment. Quantitative survey indicates that 85.0% of the households in Boyarshing sell labor on daily wage basis; for other three villages it ranges between 37.5 % and 42.5 %. Significant proportion of households in Borokuput and Ramnagar has cropland or shrimp farm. Only a very few households are involved in petty business, poultry farm, carpentry, tailoring and salaried employment.

Employment opportunity, locally, for day labor is subject pronounce seasonal fluctuations. Also, peak seasons for job availability vary village to village. For Kalikapur and Ramnagar job availability is highest in Ashar and Agrahyan – 25 days in each of these the months. For Borokuput the peak month is Sraban – 30 day in the month; and it is Ashar – 15 days, for Boyarshing.

In Kalikapur, jobs are not available, locally, for day labours during Ashwin, Kartik and Falgun.

Day labors in Ramnagar do not gat job Ramnagar locally during Bhadra, Ashwin and Magh;

and for Borokuput, it is Ashwin and Kartik and the last 3 months of the year. Lean period for

Boyarshing longer – 9 months, starting Srabon to Chaitra

(excepting occasional 2 or 3 days job available in Ashiwin and Kartik).

To augment their incomes, households rear cow, goat and

Main occupation of the HHs as % of total HHs*

Borokuput Boyarshing Kalikapur Ramnagar

N = 40 N = 40 N = 40 N = 40 Day labor 42.5 85.0 37.5 40.0 Crop cultivation** 42.5 10.0 20.0 32.5 Shrimp culture** 25.0 20.0 7.5 35.0 * Multiple options; **Own farmland;


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PP of HHs have own homestead and latrine

Kalikapur (N = 40)

Ramnagar (N = 40)

Borokuput (N = 40)

Boyarshing (N = 40)

Own homestead 85.0 87.5 87.5 87.5

Own latrine 92.5 82.5 77.5 72.5

Roofing materials of the dwelling houses

Kalikapur (N = 40)

Ramnagar (N = 40)

Borokuput (N = 40)

Boyarshing (N = 40)

CI/CA sheet roof 37.5 57.5 67.5 65.0

Thatch roof 62.5 37.5 32.5 32.5

Materials of the wall dwelling houses

Kalikapur (N = 40)

Ramnagar (N = 40)

Borokuput (N = 40)

Boyarshing (N = 40)

Brick wall 17.5 67.5 7.5 2.5 CI sheet wall 7.5 0.0 15.0 10.0

Thatch wall 17.5 15.0 45.0 42.5

Mud wall 57.5 17.5 32.5 45.0

poultry. Generally, larger numbers of households in the villages under Krishnanagar union have domestic animals compared to that of Atulia union. Most of the households in Ramnagar, which has relatively less saline contaminated area, keep cows and goat. In contrast, Boyarshing has its entire area contaminated with salinity, and very few households keep cow, goat or poultry.

2.7. Housing, WASH and Energy

2.6.1 Housing and Latrine

Homestead ownership:

Most of the

households have

homestead of their

own. Also, most of

the households

have latrines,

individually.

Roofing materials:

Each of the villages has few brick-built houses. Learning from their Aila experience people

consider it worthwhile investment. However, only few well-off households could afford that.

Majority of the

households in

Ramnagar,

Borokuput and

Boyarshing have

corrugated iron (CI)

or corrugated

asbestos (CA) sheet

roof houses. In

Kalikapur, majority of the households used thatch (golpata) for roofing.

Wall materials:

Most of the houses in

Kalikapur, Borokuput

and Boyarshing has

either thatch or mud

wall. Contrastingly,

majority of the

households used brick

to make walls of their

houses. Although

many households

preferred CI sheet for

roof construction, very

few has used that for

wall making.


Page 19

Source of drinking water

Kalikapur (N = 40)

Ramnagar (N = 40)

Borokuput (N = 40)

Boyarshing (N = 40)

Tub well 100.0 60.0 0.0 0.0

Pipe Water 0.0 0.0 50.0 0.0

PSF 0.0 40.0 0.0 0.0

Rain Water 0.0 0.0 67.5 100.0

Water seller 12.5 0.0 40.0 100.0

* Multiple options

Source of drinking water

Kalikapur (N = 40)

Ramnagar (N = 40)

Borokupot (N = 40)

Boyarshing (N = 40)

Wood fuel 97.5 85 97.5 100

Cow dung 17.5 12.5 12.5 0

Firewood Purchase 57.5 47.5 82.5 100

* Multiple options

Source of drinking water:

Aila had contaminated

all sources of fresh

water including the

ponds and tube-wells

that people were

using to get drinking

water. Through

humanitarian

assistance

programme some

ponds and rube-wells

were cleaned. It did

not work well. The freshly cleaned ponds and tube-wells became contaminated again. Also,

pipe water supply system was introduced in Kalikapur, Borokuput and Boyarshing through

Aila recovery interventions. However, because of contamination of water sources, pipe water

supply systems in Kalikapur and Boyarshing have stopped functioning.

Households from different villages collect drinking water from different sources. All

households in Boyarshing collect rainwater. Also, majority of the households in Borokuput do

the same. Rainwater harvesting does not meet the households’ needs fully. So they buy

water from the local water sellers. Households from Borokuput, in addition, collect water

from the supply line taps. Households in Ramnagar get water tube-wells and PSF. All

households in Kalikapur use tube-wells. Some of them however, additionally, buy water from

the local water sellers.

2.6.2 Energy Cooking fuel: Nearly all households in the four villages use wood fuel for cooking. In Boyarshing they rely solely on firewood; in Kalikapur, Ramnagar and Borokuput some households, additionally, use cow dung. Also, nearly all households Borokuput and Boyarshing buy firewood. About half of the households in other two villages do the same.


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3. Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability

3.1. Climate Risk Assessment

The study, for risk assessment looked at Exposure, Fragility and Resilience to hazards and climate change. Exposure is defined as the extent of climatic events to which the community is exposed. Fragility refers to the potential impacts of the hazards and climate change on the environment, assets and livelihoods. Resilience specifies the capabilities of the community to absorb the impacts of the hazards and climate change. It was based on the common risk assessment formula Risk = Hazard X Vulnerability2, where climate change consideration has been added. The following model below graphically represents the analytical framework.

3.2. Exposure to Hazard

The Project area of Practical Action is located in the Polder-5 in the coastal region (situated at 22010’ – 220146’ N and 89003’ – 89012’ E; covering Kaliganj and Shyamnagar upazila under Satkhira district). Extensive network of tidal channel is a dominating feature of the region. The region is exposed seasonal cyclones and associated tidal surge as well as regular astronomic surges. Generally, large parts of the area are low-lying. They get inundated during high tides. Also, salinity level in the river water is high and subjected to seasonal fluctuations.

Land in the low-lying saline zone is not favorable for crop cultivation. Embankments with drainage sluice were constructed in the 1960s to protect land from tidal inundation and salinity penetration. As a result agricultural lands within the closure became highly productive. Paradoxically, the embankments tend to block efficient drainage at times of excess rainfall and riverine flooding. Besides, the embankments interfered with natural water flow and disrupt the process of land formation. It restricted channel water entering into the wetland and induced siltation in tidal channels and at the outlet of sluice gates. Moreover, upland flow of different river decreased, over the years, due to natural causes as well as over withdrawal of upstream water, which cause the channel beds to rise. Meanwhile, the climate change factors continued to influence the river dynamics as well the weather; although it did not come into notice at that time.

Progressively, the climate change manifestations have become more obvious and perceptible. The community people believe that area has become warmer and more humid; and winter has become shorter and more intense. The regular astronomic surges became more intense and severe. Cyclones became more frequent and devastating. Also, there has

2Mapping Climate Change Vulnerability and Impact Scenarios; A Guidebook for Sub-National Planners, United Nations Development Programme


Page 21

been a shift in cyclone season – depression induced rains and windstorms started to occur in the months beyond the usual April-May cyclone season.

Map 1.5: Community perception about the salinity of the area, June 2011

GIS Salinity Map


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Form the secondary data collected form upazila it has been seen that salinity trend is increasing in both the upazila, which need to consider in future planning of community level adaptation.

Graph 1.1: Salinity Trend 2008-2010, Secondary data from UZ June, 2011

Graph 1.2: Monthly Salinity Variation in 2010, Secondary Data from UZ June, 2011

upazila data indicate that the peak season for salinity is during April-June. However, level of salinity during the peak season in Shyamnagar is markedly higher than that Kaliganj. Community level information is necessary to see the actual level of ppt, both in water as well as soil, which are presently unavailable.


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Following community based Aila storm surge inundation map has been prepared based on the discussion with UP and community. Community categories in three different levels of storm serge inundation map i.e. severely inundation (water up to neck), moderately inundation (water up to waist) and low inundation (water up to knee). Community mentioned that they did not face this type of inundation previously in the area that’s why prepared less. Now they are much keen to invest on risk reduction based the future level of risk.

Map 1.6: Community perception about the storm surge inundation of Aila, June 2011

GIS Storm Surge Inundation Map


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3.3. Physical and Socio-Economic Fragility

Natural condition of the region favors shrimp culture, which was introduced in the area in 1970s, and flourished, largely, because of increasing demand in foreign market. In 1990s, it took over the place of crop cultivation. Despite the massive expansion there has been very little investment to develop particular infrastructure for shrimp culture. Shrimp farmers continued to use water management system that has been developed primarily for rice cultivation. They connected their ponds with the rivers through channel and sluice gates. Generally, they manage the system poorly. They cut the embankment and install weak sluice gate; in the process, weaken the embankment.

Tidal surge during Aila overflow and breached the existing embankments at many places and inundated crop fields and dwelling areas. Seawater remained trapped inside the polder for long time. Surface and ground water as well as soil became contaminated. It drastically reduced the availability of potable water and the fields became unusable for crop cultivation. Furthermore, the breached parts of the embankments were not repaired. Periodic astronomic surges inundate the fields regularly. It perpetuates and reinforces saline contamination of the ground.

Higher returns from shrimp cultivation helped rich farmer accumulate assets rapidly. It expedited social and economic inequality. Poor and marginal farmers were forced to loose their land. Also, common properties were encroached and transformed into shrimp ponds. It diminished livelihood opportunities for poor households. Furthermore, transforming the agricultural land into shrimp farm caused serious reduction in the employment opportunities for the day labors. The following matrix shown climate change related hazard and the major vulnerability;

Matrix 1.1: Climate Change Related Hazard and major Vulnerability


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3.4. Community Resilience

Most of the households have homestead of their own. Despite huge devastation by Aila, they have returned to their homesteads. They rebuilt their houses mobilizing resources from various sources. Many of them have fixed their roofs with corrugated iron or asbestos sheets. Some households have been able to rebuild their houses with brick wall and reinforced concrete roofs.

Generally, the affected people pursue multiple occupations to increase or sustain their incomes. During the lean period, day labors migrate, temporarily, to other places where jobs more available.

Despite the salinity level of the soil, households continued their effort to grow vegetables in their homestead. They are keen to experiment and adapt new varieties that may grow in the increasingly saline environment. As they are facing difficulties to keep traditional animals and poultry birds, they are shifting to swan, geese and sheep rearing.

The embankments had ensured better water management and created opportunities for increasing rice production, in particular, through introducing superior technologies and improved varieties. It expanded livelihood opportunities beyond relying solely on forest resource harvesting and open water fishing. Community people have developed social systems to maintain embankments through voluntary and community based approach.

3.5. Climate Change Risk

Communities perceive climate change risks in terms of exposure to hazards. They believe that, as noted above, high tides became more intense and severe, cyclones became more frequent and untimely; and salinity intrusion became intense and persistent. Some researchers, based on the studies established suggested that “… last coastal storm surge flood inundated around 22.7% of land in the studied polder. The predicted coverage area would extend to 41.4% on 2030, 64.2% in 2050 and 86.7% in 2100 due to changing climate in future”3.

Climate risk of the people in the area generates broadly from two elements – environmental and socio-economic.

Environmental element is salinity levels of water (both surface and ground water) and soil. The area is located in a ‘saline zone’. Polders constructed in the 1960s held back tidal incursion in wetland area and keep the soil relatively free from salinity for the time being. However, the climate change factors, without being noticed, continued to degrade the environment. This in combination with embankment construction and Aila induced devastation caused sudden and rapid increase in the salinity levels in surface and ground water, and soil. Crop based agriculture and livelihood surrounding that are less sustainable in such saline environment.

Socio-economic element is transitional stress during the shift from crop cultivation to shrimp culture. Unique environment and the feature of the area provided opportunities for shrimp culture. It attracted many farmers to shrimp cultivation. Shrimp culture started without having the socio-economic infrastructure necessary to facilitate and sustain this emerging sector. Although the pervasive power structure and in-egalitarian social practices are common to both, supply chain for crop production and shrimp culture have different characteristics. Crudely put, the links in the crop production are vaguely defined and ‘social exchange’ is pronounced in the supply chain management. Production links in shrimp culture are more clearly defined. Supply chain management in shrimp culture relies heavily on ‘market

3Impact of Coastal Flooding on Land use Pattern Considering Climate Change - Pronab Kumar Halder; Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), http://www.geospatialworldforum.org/


Page 26

exchange’. The transition from crop cultivation to shrimp culture generated some social stresses and tensions.

These two elements generate some dynamic pressures. Firstly, severe scarcity of potable water – water for crop cultivation or homestead vegetables is not available. Households have to buy drinking water or collect it from distant places; Secondly, low prospect for crop cultivation – vegetables or rice variety that could cope with the existing levels of salinity in the water and soil are not available presently it seriously curtails the range of livelihood options and forces the households into shrimp culture.

Thirdly, absence of grazing land – households face difficulties to get fodder; and they could not keep domestic animals.

Fourthly, incompatible land leasing arrangement – majority of the farmers secure land through annual lease contract. They do not invest for pond digging or long term improvement of the farming land. It is because they are not sure whether would able to secure lease contract for the next year.

Fifthly, absence of shrimp farming water management system – shrimp farmers currently uses the system that the communities have developed primarily for rice cultivation. It does not allow the farmers control water flow necessary to optimize returns from shrimp culture.

Sixthly, technologies for disease control or services to get virus free post larvae are not available to shrimp farmers.

These dynamic pressures force unsafe conditions upon the people living the area.

Disease prevalence in area has increased. Large numbers of girls, boys, women and men in the area are suffering from diarrhea and skin diseases.

Households have to spend more, both in terms of money and time, to meet their daily need of drinking water. It put extra burden on girls; and in some places, even men have to spend time for collecting water.

Farmers are force into shrimp culture abandoning crop cultivation. In the process, they become dependent on market exchange to maintain food security and nutrition.

Majority of the households do not have domestic animals. Children in households rarely drink milk; and it adversely affects their nutrition. Also, these households could not build buffer that help them cope with economic shock.

Many of the shrimp farmers use ponds that often do not have the minimum depth or the other arrangement necessary for shrimp cultivation. Shrimp crops in these ponds are highly susceptible to temperature fluctuation and disease outbreak.

Shrimp farmers, lacking appropriate system, could not control water flow properly. It hinders production; and often farmers incur heavy losses.

The area is exposed to several hazards such as cyclone, tidal surge, rain failure and ‘prawn virus attack’. Virus attack and disease outbreak has become a major and recurring problem for shrimp culture. It sometimes wipes out the entire crop. Rain failure is very common but of short duration. Nevertheless, it increases salinity levels and causes severe damage to crops and shrimp farms. Cyclone has become more recurring. Aila has demonstrated that relatively low velocity windstorm could generate tidal surge that could overwhelm the embankments and cause huge damage to life, livelihood and environment. Any of these hazards could severely affect the households living in the unsafe conditions noted above.


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4. Investment Plan For the Project

4.1. Adaptation Options

In the southwest part of the country, the extent of vulnerability is somewhat different than other parts of the country due to change in farming system, intrusion of saline water, land ownership pattern, inadequate irrigation facilities, and minimum access to the natural properties. The rapid increase of income level by the rich families from shrimp cultivation expedited social and economic status inequality leading to losing of land by the poor and marginal farmers. Transforming of agricultural land into gher farming contributed to redundancy in agricultural labor use. Thus the diversification of income opportunities have little explored for these disadvantaged people.

Farmers are already spending more on synthetic inputs to maintain current levels of production, basically reducing net income. These changes in agriculture and in the shrimp cultivation created a huge difference in the livelihood of the people compare to last 20 years. It has created a visible division between the Rich and the Poor, Men and Women.

The livelihoods of the people living in this south west region are highly dependent on the natural resource base, and therefore are extremely vulnerable to environmental changes such as increasing salinity and water logging. In addition, this region is prone to natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, floods, unusual high tide, and riverbank erosion. Models of the predicted impacts of climate change and observations to date indicate that this region will be increasingly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rise.

In this context, Practical Action- Bangladesh is trying to identify and pilot adaptation options for agriculture, fisheries, livestock, safe drinking water and infrastructure sector to address climate change issues.

Adaptation to climate change refers to adjustment in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected stimuli and their effects or impacts, addressed to the solution of relative problems, as well as to the benefits from the undertaken measures. Adaptation to climate is an ongoing, everyday process. A general principle of adaptation to climate change is that the stronger the adaptation capacity, the lower the vulnerability to climate change both in the present and the future, regardless of the specific environmental changes that may arise.

In this regards, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted in four selected villages of Kaliganj and Shyamnagar upazilas of Satkhira district. FGD participants analyzed the context of climate change and its impacts on their lives and livelihoods. They also pointed out several adaptation options for agriculture, fisheries, livestock, safe drinking water and infrastructure sector to address climate change issues (table- 6.1).


Page 28

Table 4.1: Suitable adaptation options identified by villagers to address climate change impacts

Adaptation options Shyamnagar Kaliganj

Borokuput Boyarshing Kalikapur Ramnagar

Su

itab

le

Pri

ori

ty

Su

itab

le

Pri

ori

ty

Su

itab

le

Pri

ori

ty

Su

itab

le

Pri

ori

ty

Agriculture Sector

Vegetable cultivation √ √ √ √

Hydro phonics in tanks √ √ √ √

Pit cultivation of vegetable √ √ √ √

Dyke cropping √ √ √ √

Saline tolerant rice √ √ √ √ √

Mushroom cultivation √ √ √ √

Orchid nursery and flower √ √ Fisheries Sector

Hapa nursing of shrimp PL √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Shrimp cultivation in closed system

√ √ √ √ √ √ √

Shrimp cultivation with inlet and outlet facilities

√ √ √ √ √

Crab fattening √ √ √ √ √

Domestication of wild fish √ √ √

Cage aquaculture √ √ √ √

Promotion of tilapia √ √ √ √ √ √ Livestock Sector

Sheep Rearing √ √ √ √ √

Fodder cultivation √ √ √ √

Stall feeding √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Beef fattening √ √ √ √ √

Poultry / swan rearing √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ Water supply

Rainwater harvesting √ √ √ √ √ √

Pond re-excavation & dyke raising

√ √ √ √ √

Pipe water supply √ √ √ √ √ √

Household level solar powered desalination plant

√ √ √ √ √ √

Infrastructure Sector (shelter)

Pucca and semi-pacca building

√ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Plinth Raising √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Killa for animals √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Multi-purpose community shelter

√ √ √ √ √

Clean energy sector

Solar energy √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Bio-fuel √ √ √ √ √ √

Bio-gas √ √ √ √

Off-farm sector

Farmers’ service centers √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √


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4.2. Options for Agriculture Sector

4.2.1. Vegetable cultivation

Vegetable cultivation in croplands and homesteads is a common practice in Bangladesh. Farmers use to grow both winter and summer vegetable. However, this scenario is not common for the farmers of southwest coastal regions. The Shyamnagar upazila is vastly contaminated by saline water due to expansion of unplanned shrimp cultivation. Farmers can hardly grow any vegetable due to lack of sweet water. Most of the people are very poor there. Also they have very limited croplands to grow vegetable. Among those who have lands, cultivate shrimp. On the other hand, farmers of Kaliganj upazila have good practice of vegetable cultivation. Most of the FGD participants have lands for vegetable production. During the dry season salinity penetrate through the canal water. As a result they suffer from lack of water for irrigation. Farmers grow vegetable in winter when they can manage sweet water (e.g. Part of Kalikapur village of Kaliganj upazila). Here, some farmers have developed an adaptive technology of growing tomato. They gradually use acclimatize tomato seedlings with saline water. They mentioned that arum could also grow in low saline condition.

Regarding the inputs availability, vegetable seeds are available in the market. However, farmers usually complain about their (seed) quality and price. This area is deficit in vegetable production. As a result there is a big demand for vegetable. It can also grow in short period.

Hydroponics could be a suitable technology option for vegetable cultivation in Shyamnagar. Although the farmers here have not practiced this technology, however, some of them have seen it in a television programme. In this system vegetable are cultivated in metal or plastic tanks with fresh water and necessary nutrients are added at regular basis. The primary investment is comparatively higher for this technology. This could be done also by community approach. Besides, pit cultivation could be another potential technology option here for vegetable cultivation. In this system, small pits are made and are filled up with manure or compost in a jute sac and seedlings are planted thereby. Rainwater could be used for irrigation. Sweet gourd, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, etc. grow in this system very well. This technology is very cheap.

Again, in Kaliganj, dyke cropping could be a useful and practical technology option for vegetable cultivation. Farmers grow vegetable on dykes of rice fields in many parts of Bangladesh. Many organizations (e.g. CARE-Bangladesh, FAO, DANIDA, etc.) have promoted this technology. Production cost is also low here.

4.2.2. Saline tolerant rice

Rice is the staple food of the people of Bangladesh. Rice production in saline areas is very low due to lack of suitable saline tolerant varieties, limited seed availability and unavailability of appropriate technology. The indigenous rice varieties are gradually disappearing due to expansion of unplanned shrimp farms. Nevertheless, rice production has significantly reduced in Shyamnagar and Kaliganj due to intrusion of salinity. Meanwhile, BRRI has innovated BR-47 of rice variety, which can tolerate up to 7 - 8 ppt of salinity. Some farmers are cultivating BR-47 in Kaliganj. This could be promoted.

4.2.3. Mushroom and or orchid culture

The idea of mushroom and or orchid culture came from the FGD participants while discussing about high value crop. They have mentioned that the Sundarban is the home of spectacular orchid. The demand for orchid flowers is also very high in the urban market. They are also expensive. They have mentioned that the climatic condition here is very much suitable for mushroom cultivation. However, the technology is not well known to the farmers and initial investment is high and market linkage yet to be established.


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4.3. Options for Fisheries Sector

4.3.1. Hapa nursing of shrimp post larvae (PL)

Now a day, shrimp producers are facing more than 60% mortality of shrimp PLs in their ghers (enclosures). This is due to adjustment problem of hatchery condition and gher conditions. Also predation is another major cause of mortality. This can be easily minimized nursing PLs in hapa for to 6 weeks. Hapa originally an inverted mosquito net made up of fine meshed net. Farmers can set hapa in ponds, canals or even in their ghers. They can grow PLs up to juvenile stage and then can sell it to shrimp producers. It is a very profitable business with easy and low cost technology, which could be introduced in both Kaligonj and Shyamnagar upazila.

4.3.2. Shrimp cultivation in closed system/inlet and outlet facilities

Coastal Shrimp culture in the brackish water is an age-old practice around the coastal areas of Khulna, Satkhira & Bagerhat district. People used to trap tidal water in low-lying inter-tidal areas and harvest shrimp and finfish after three to four months time. Last couple of years farmers are experiencing severe outbreak of shrimp diseases in the area. More than 70% ghers are inflicted with disease and cause high mortality in every year. The causes of diseases infestation are mainly due to very shallow water level maintained in the ghers, lack of attention during gher preparation, lack of water exchange facilities, malnutrition, etc. This could be minimized creating inlet and outlet facilities in ghers. This will help them to exchange water regularly. Again, shrimp could be cultured in closed system having proper water depth. Department of Fisheries (DoF) and some other organizations got significantly better results by adopting these technologies. Both the technologies are suitable for the shrimp producers of Shyamnagar and Kaliganj.

4.3.3. Crab fattening

In recent years crab fattening is becoming a popular and very much profitable technology options for aquaculture farmers. Usually matured male mud crabs are exported to foreign countries. The water crabs (which have not grown strong muscles) are screened out in the depots. Farmers usually buy them at a very minimum price and stock them in confined water bodies fenced with bamboo splits. Usually they apply supplementary feeds (mainly raw fish) to the crabs. After 3-4 weeks crabs become matured and are sold at high price. This could be a very promising adaptation option for Shyamnagar.

4.3.4. Domestication of wild fishes

Usually the shrimp gher farmers allow wild indigenous fin fish fries in their ghers while they allow entering shrimp PLs with the saline water. However, they kill the sea bass and mullets after one month as they predate on shrimp juveniles.

There are excellent brackish-water finfish species, such as Mullets and Catfish that could be cultured either in mono or poly culture along with shrimp. This would involve less risk, be less capital intensive and would also demand less shrimp seed.

Sea bass (Latescalcarifer) and bhangan (Mullet cephalus) has a very good market potential in Bangladesh and is highly acceptable to the people. Nursery operation is a very promising occupation, particularly for resource-poor farmers on account of its high assurance of quick return. Hence, it is necessary to identify suitable areas near shrimp ghers for nurseries and develop appropriate management practices. This technology could be introduced in both Kaligonj and Shyamnagar upazila.

4.3.5. Promotion of GIFT Tilapia

Tilapia is one of the most potential fish species for brackish water and also for rice-fish cultivation. Now a day tilapia is available at local level. Although mono-sex tilapia cultivation


Page 31

is getting popularize, it has some limitations; e.g. hatcheries are not close to these areas, continuous dependency on hatchery operators, difference of saline condition in between hatcheries and farmers ponds, etc. Tilapia could be promoted here through introducing developing satellite brood rear and decentralized seed production technologies.

4.3.4.a Satellite Brood Rearing (SBR)

Tilapia is prolific breeder and people use this to produce fish seed, raising the hatchlings in paddy fields. However, it deteriorates quality quickly. To address this problem satellite brood rear could be developed locally. This will help to ensure tilapia fingerlings locally at reasonable price. This will also reduce on the dependency on hatcheries and the hassle of acclimatizing with saline water. Good quality tilapia fingerlings (e.g. GIFT tilapia) could be supplied to the selected farmers. They can raise them up to maturing stage in cage or ponds. After that they can either arrange for breeding or can sell to rice-fish farmers. The SBRs could be used as the source of GIFT fingerling for future.

6.2.5.b Decentralized (fish) Seed Production (DSP)

DSP is extremely simple. Usually farmers collect the matured tilapia from farmer’s ponds and stock in the irrigated rice fields, which are prepared by rising dikes, digging small ditches or trenches. Brood tilapia gradually become accustomed to this environment and it lays eggs in the trenches or ditch. Nursing of fertile eggs/ hatchlings is done inside the mouth cavity of tilapia for few days to void predation. After few days, hatchings move to the rice fields and use it for feeding. Hatchlings reach fry/ fingerling size within 1.5 to 2 months. It is wise to harvest the fry/ fingerling partially when they reach 4 – 5 cm size. It helps to maintain optimum stocking density to get better production and survival rate. Stocking usually done by February and seed production peaks during May and June with fingerlings harvested by drawing down water levels to concentrate them in the ditch, from where they can be retained and netted prior to sale or restocking in the household ponds. Little or no additional irrigation or supplementary feed is required, and the fingerlings are ready for sale at the time of peak demand among pond farmers.

4.3.6. Cage aquaculture

Cage aquaculture is a technique of cultivating fishes in a confined device (usually made up with nets). The net cages are put in either ponds or open water-bodies. Fishes are stocked in high density and are supplied with supplementary feed. Cage culture contributes effectively to sustainable rural livelihoods, generating income at critical times of the year when food shortage reaches its peak, and when casual employment is limited.

Cage aquaculture could be a very attractive adaptation option for the vulnerable people of Shyamnagar and Kaliganj. They can do it individually or community based in canals or in ponds. Tilapia and sea bass would be the most preferred fish species for cage culture in this region. Also mud crabs could be cultured in small bamboo made cages.

Cage culture is a low cost technology, labor inputs are quite low, even poor women can manage cage successfully and technology is flexible, so it can be adapted to individual needs.

4.4. Options for Livestock Sector

4.4.1. Poultry/Swan rearing

In both the upazilas, farmers are used to rear poultry birds. They have lost most of their poultry birds during Sidr and Aila. Also many birds died due to avian influenza. However, farmers, particularly women are very much interested to rear poultry birds. Proper vaccination has to be ensured for this purpose.


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Again, shrimp producer do not allow duck in their ghers as duck eats small shrimps. However, they allow swan. Swans are herbivorous and can survive in moderate salinity. They clean weeds of the ghers. Swan has good market demand and price. Swan rearing could be a very good adaptation options.

4.4.2. Fodder cultivation (German grass on dykes/embankment)

Crisis of fodder is rigorous in these two upazilas. Community based or even individual level fodder cultivation on the roadside, dykes of rice fields and on the slopes of the embankment could be very much useful adaptation option. This will help to rear cows. Saline tolerant fodder (e.g. German grass) has to be identified for Shyamnagar.

4.4.3. Sheep rearing

Sheep is commonly known as hardy animal. It can tolerate stress conditions and are less susceptible to diseases. Farmers of Kaliganj and Shyamnagar have the practice of sheep rearing in a scavenging way. Usually they take very minimum care for their sheep. Sheep rearing could be a very profitable adaptation option here. Improved technologies could be adopted for sheep rearing; e.g. stall feeding, semi-scavenging system, etc.

4.4.4. Stall feeding (goat/cow/sheep)

Cow and goat rearing is very common in this region. Here, greenery is disappearing day by day due to saline intrusion for unplanned shrimp cultivation. As a result number of cows and goats are reducing significantly. As a result, nutrition of children and mothers are threatened. Also farmers are facing severe problem to increase organic matters in their fields. In this situation stall feeding of goat, sheep and cows could help to increase their (LS) population as well as bring profit to farmers. In stall-feeding system animals are kept in bamboo made small cages in a well-ventilated room and fed them in stall. This technology could b introduced in both Kaliganj and Shyamnagar upazila.

4.4.5. Beef Fattening

Beef fattening is a popular technology to make remarkable profit within short period. Usually weak oxen are fed with quality supplementary feed, nurse for couple of months and are sold during festivals to obtain higher price. Beef fattening could be useful for the farmers of Kaliganj.

4.5. Options for Drinking Water Sector

Most of the tube-wells are contaminated by arsenic. Some are contaminated by saline. The ground water aquifers are also contaminated by salinity. Safe drinking water was a real crisis. People have to drink rainwater, pond water or river water. Due to a lack of existing knowledge and treatment facilities for arsenocosis, both affected and non-affected people

are experiencing psychological trauma.

4.5.1. Pond re-excavation & dyke rising

People use to drink pond water here. Ponds were the major source of sweet water. However, most of the sweet water sources including ponds were contaminated by saline water during Aila. People tried in many ways to clean up their drinking water sources. In Shyamnagar they failed to de-saline the pond water. However, in Kaliganj, few of them have first dried up their ponds, then re-excavated and raised pond embankment (to avoid further saline contamination during tidal surge) and got better results. Now their ponds are reserved with sweet water. This adaptation option could be further tested in Kaliganj.


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4.5.2. Rain water harvesting

Salinity is increasing in coastal region of Bangladesh. This calamity has further aggravated safe drinking and irrigation water in these regions. Drinking water is hard to find in the region. Groundwater has also become salty - caused by factors including soil desiccation and tidal flooding. Rainwater harvesting technology is one of the most viable adaptation options to ensure drinking water, it is easy to use and maintain. Rainwater runs down the sloping tin roof, into plastic half-pipe gutters fixed to the edge of the roof and down into the pots/ tanks. They can store rainwater for couple of months.

4.5.3. Solar Powered Desalination Unit

Solar desalination as the name suggests is a technique to desalinate water using solar energy. Reverse osmosis and solar humidification – dehumidification are the two major types of solar desalination.

Reverse Osmosis is currently the most popular and favored technology for desalination. Reverse Osmosis is also the most cost-effective. Reverse osmosis is a pressure-driven process. It sort of forces the separation of fresh water from other constituents through a semi-permeable membrane. Solar energy is collected and converted into electrical or mechanical energy to initiate the process. This technology could be adapted at Shyamnagar and some parts of Kaliganj upazila.

4.6. Options for Infrastructure sector

4.6.1. Plinth rising

The cyclone “Aila” hit the coastal areas in 2009. The surge water stagnated in the villages for two weeks. The FGD participants mentioned that if their plinths of the houses would 3-4 feet more high, their damage could be reduced.

Plinth rising is an appropriate and necessary adaptation option as the homestead used to inundate by surge water very frequently. The plinth soil should be compacted and slope carpeting be accomplished in a proper manner. This adaptation option is appropriate for poor people of both selected upazilas who can afford to construct pacca housing.

4.6.2. Construction of pacca house

Most of the FGD participants have lost their houses during the super cyclones “Sidr and Aila”. The poor people’s huts are very much fragile and made up with poor materials. In most of the cases the house platform was made by clay, roofs were made in Goalpata (kind of palm leaves) and the walls were made by wood. Now they are trying to construct houses with bricks. The floor and walls are constructed bricks and roofs are made up by either corrugated tin or asbestos. They mentioned that bricks are also less durable due to salinity. However, it could be treated by tamarind to increase durability.

4.6.3. Shelter for animals

Every year people here suffer a lot due to disasters. They have to shift to safer places during cyclones and tidal surges. Many of them loose their houses, lands and other valuable assets. During the cyclone and tidal surge, cattle face huge causalities and big troubles. But there are no shelter places for them. They also suffer from lack of fodder in that time. Considering this earthen platform (kella) for cattle could be constructed on khas land. Also

hey or fodder could be stocked over there. This adaptation option could be used for both the upazilas.


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4.6.4. Construction of community based small cyclone shelter

Idea of constructing small cyclone shelter is little bit innovative. They are also pretty close to the cyclone victims. Cyclone shelters should also consider highest water level during tidal surge. One of the flood shelter constructed for the people of char Dhushmara is little far from the flood victim people. Proper design with utility facilities of cyclone shelters has to be constructed. This adaptation option could be used for both

the upazilas. However, it is more important for Shyamnagar.

4.7. Options for Clean Energy Sector

4.7.1. Solar energy

Since there is limited chance for electrification normally, so solar panels have created a demand among the people and opened options for works like mobile phone charging, light-fan using etc. A number of NGOs (e.g. Grameen Shakti, BRAC, Srijani, etc.) are promoting solar panels in these upazilas. They are also providing the panels in credit. Individual and cluster based (for 8-10 HHs) solar panels could be installed. Users should be trained on troubleshooting and maintenance. Linkage with service providers has to be established. The technology is expensive and may not affordable by the poor communities. In this case, credit support and monthly installment could be introduced.

This adaptation option could be used for both the upazilas. However, it is more important for Shyamnagar.

4.7.2. Biogas

Although the technology is expensive, biogas is a climate change friendly technology, saving biomass-fuel. It has multi purpose uses (cooking/lighting/manure). The technology is not suitable for extreme poor people, as it requires at least 4 adult cows to run a single plant. Installment cost is beyond affordability of the poor. People are reluctant to day to day operation and management. IDCOL and few other organizations are installing biogas plants in Bangladesh.

Biogas plants could be installed only at Kaliganj and be operated by poultry liters. The number of cows and poultry birds is very limited in Shyamnagar that is why biogas technology is not feasible for Shyamnagar.

4.7.3. Bio-fuel

The search for alternatives of fossil fuels is a major environmental and political challenge also. A promising alternative source of fuel, called bio-diesel, has already been developed and is being used in some countries. Bio-diesel is a chemical compound of methyl ester derived from raw or used vegetable oils and animal fats. Bio-diesel is considered "carbon dioxide neutral" because all of the carbon dioxide released during combustion is sequestered out of the atmosphere during crop growth.

There are some native plants, which grow well in the fallow lands and also can play a major role for getting the non-edible oil, which could be possible to convert bio-diesel or directly used as a source of alternative fossil fuel in Bangladesh. Some of the well-known non-edible oil seed producing plants are Jatropha (Jatrophacurcas), Castor (Ricinuscommunis) seeds,

etc. These oils could be potential sources of bio-diesel since the poor people in the rural areas use these for direct burning.

The people of Kaliganj and Shyamnagar had previously used bio-fuel made from Castor (local name Verenda/Venna). This technology could be reintroduced.


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4.8. Options for off-Farm IGAs

4.8.1. Farmers’ Service Centers (FSCs)

The families of this southwest part of the country predominantly were depended on agricultural crop production and livestock rearing. Shifting of these agricultural lands into gher farming reduced the cultivation of rice, pulses, vegetables and other crops. Land use

pattern has undergone a major shift owing to commercial shrimp culture. The lion share of the agricultural land was devoted to cultivation of paddy in the pre-shrimp period. Again, climate change, intense and frequent visits of natural calamities is also forcing people to shift their agricultural patterns, to adapt and adopt new technology options.

On the other hand, there are limited scopes for off-farm IGAs. Raw materials are not available and are expensive. Limited opportunity exists for the poor people to develop skills to run off-farm IGAs. Gaining capital to run off-farm IGA is another critical problem for these poor people.

In order to help farmers in adopting the potential technologies there must have an arrangement so that they can get the complimentary inputs at their doorsteps. Also the arrangement for marketing of produces, especially the cash crops may help in using the modern technologies in these crops by its producers. In this fact, some Local Extensions (Les) could be developed who can operate Farmers’ Service Centers (FSCs). It could be established at the Union/ Block level with the following facilities:

Soil and water testing facilities

Supply of all necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, weedicides, HYV/ hybrid seeds, and agricultural implements.

Workshop for repairing the agricultural machinery and equipment’s with minimum charges and fees.

Buying of cash crops and seasonal crops from the farmers at reasonable prices.

Vaccination programme for animals and birds.

Supply fingerlings to the pond owners

4.8. Prioritization of Adaptation Options

The feasibility of the proposed adaptation options were prioritized considering the following

issues:

Resource base

Do they have own resources to implement the proposed

adaptation options?

Do they have access to resources (common property, public

property, leasing in/ share cropping, etc.)?

Is the resource suitable for proposed adaptation options?

Technology

Are the proposed technologies resilient to climate change?

Are the proposed adaptation options in practice locally or

elsewhere?

Are the adaptation options affordable by the poor vulnerable

people?

Are the inputs available locally?


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Do they create employment opportunities for both male and

female?

Are the proposed technology options profitable?

Market potentials

Do the proposed products have market demand (local/urban

market)?

What is the existing marketing system for the products?

Do they have access to market?

Considering the above factors attractive adaptation options are shown below-

Adaptation options for Shyamnagar

High Shrimp cultivation with inlet and outlet facilities


Promotion of tilapia Pipe water supply

Poultry / swan rearing


Bio-fuel

Hydro phonics in tanks

Pit cultivation of vegetable

Crab fattening

Hapa nursing of shrimp PL

Sheep Rearing

Rainwater harvesting

Plinth Raising

Pacca/semi-pacca building

Solar energy

Farmer service center Medium Mushroom /

Orchid Cultivation

Saline tolerant rice Domestication of wild fish

Fodder cultivation

Beef fattening

Stall feeding


Killa for animals

Low Pond re-excavation & dyke raising

Low Medium High

Attractive

Less Attractive


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Adaptation options for Kaliganj

High Shrimp cultivation with inlet and outlet facilities


Poultry / swan rearing

Pipe water supply


Bio-fuel

Bio-gas plat

Saline tolerant rice

Vegetable cultivation

Dyke cropping

Promotion of tilapia

Hapa nursing of shrimp PL

Fodder cultivation

Sheep Rearing

Rainwater harvesting

Plinth Raising

Pacca and semi-pacca building

Solar energy

Farmer service center Medium Mushroom

/Orchid Cultivation

Domestication of wild fish

Crab fattening

Pond re-excavation & dyke raising

Beef fattening

Stall feeding


Killa for animals

Low

Low Medium High

Attractive

Less Attractive


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5. Conclusions

The coastal region has always been exposed to seasonal cyclone, tidal incursion, and salinity intrusion. Concerns about food security prompted the national planners to exploit the crop producing potential of the wetland and the low-lying areas in the region. They applied an ‘Engineering Approach’ to development and construction of embankments in the 1960s. It worked well initially. Local farmers were able to grow rice more successfully, and to contribute reducing the country’s food deficit. Nevertheless, natural condition of the area favored and attracted shrimp culture. It was introduced in the 19070s, grew rapidly to overtake place of crop cultivation in the 1990s. Higher returns from shrimp culture enable rich farmers accumulate assets; and it expedited social and economic inequality leading to poor households losing their land. Shrimp culture also accelerated rates of salinity penetration in the soil. Moreover, the poor water management by shrimp farmer weakened the embankments and vulnerabilities to cyclonic and astronomic surges.

Embankments disrupted natural flow of the tidal channels and accelerated climate change manifestation. Over the years, they became weak and collapsed during cyclone Aila. They not only failed to protect people from tidal inundation but also trapped saline water inside and prolonged miseries of the affected people. It resulted in devastating and irreversible changes in the environment and natural resource base. Salinity levels in surface and ground water and in the soil have increased to the extent that crop based agriculture became less tenable. It seriously reduces livelihood opportunities of the communities.

Aila demonstrated that the strategy of protecting both cropland and habitats from tidal inundation and salinity through embankment is less viable. It becomes crucial that the development interventions seek to generate livelihood options exploit ing the ‘saline environment’ and simultaneously but separately prevent salinity to affect people adversely. Clearly, there is a need for experimenting and innovating technologies and system for saline aqua culture, salt tolerant crop cultivation, accessing potable water, cyclone-safe housing and disease controlling.

The first step of the process is to identify, through rigorously testing feasibility, a range of practicable options within the reach of individual households or the local communities. Understandably, feasibility study of the options should take ‘local variations’ into consideration. The next step is to develop policy instrument and macro level intervention to help communities pursue the viable options. Also, it necessitates public awareness about the shift in the strategy as well educating the communities about the specific options.

Consultations and expert opinions suggested several Aila recovery and climate change adaptation options for the communities in the Practical Action operation area. Force field analysis apply criteria – i.e. resource base technology and market potential, indicates some of those are highly potential and attractive for piloting.

Documents

Report on Prepared by - Poverty Environment · Coastal Areas of Bangladeh”Project Prepared by: Practical Action Bangladesh 24 July 2011 Research Team: Kazi Shahidur Rahman Farhana