Citation: Sen, H.S., Burman, D. and Mandal Subhasis (2009). Improving the rural livelihoods in the Ganges delta through integrated, diversified cropping and aquaculture, and through better use of flood or salt affected areas. Technical paper presented in International Workshop on CPWF Basin Focal Project for the IG Basin, "Tackling Water and Food Crisis in South Asia: Insights from the Indus-Gangetic Basin", held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 2-3 Dec, 2009. International Water Management Institute.
The Ganges delta is one of the largest deltas in the world. The rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra flow into the delta from the northwest and the north. The landforms of the Bengal lowland, including the Ganges orBengal delta and its surrounding region, consist of Pleistocene uplands and alluvial lowlands. TheGanges delta is distributed over Bangladesh and a major part of West Bengal (India). At the extreme south, the delta is about 360 km wide along the Bay of Bengal, and in terms of area about 80,000 km2distributed over the two countries classifying Ganges delta into Moribund delta, Mature delta, Tidally active delta and Active delta. Throughout Pleistocene times, the site of active deltaic sedimentation has switched due either to geological factors combined with changes in the river hydrology, the latter particularly in the recent times owing mainly to human interventions, thereby affecting adversely the entire process of livelihood system including agriculture, aquaculture, and all related spheres by and large in the entire lower Ganges delta. Now, the Ganges merges with the Brahmaputra, and the site of active sedimentation lies to the east as the tidally dominated part (TDGD), being the main domain of this paper, under the Ganges/ Brahmaputra river delta. Many of the former riverine channels act now as tidal channels (also as drainage networks), while the former saline lands have been converted to various agricultural and marine farming practices, and are under various stages of reclamation. Originally, this surface formed an extreme expanse of mangrove forests comprising major parts of the Sundarbans. The TDGD including the Sundarbans are distributed over Bangladesh and India, area under the former being higher.
With increasing population pressure and other anthropological factors along with trend of seawater rise vis-à-vis global warming and various other factors majority of the areas remain highly fragile in nature and ecologically unsustainable. Agricultural productivity including aquaculture, being the principal areas of occupation of the majority, are generally poor because of various constraints, which, along with ecological vulnerability, are responsible for abject poverty and uncertain livelihood of the local inhabitants in this ecosystem. There is need for a holistic look at the entire problem in order to seek for future road map for higher and sustainable productivity in agriculture and aquaculture and improved livelihood status of this contiguous area stretching over two countries with almost similar problems. It should be remembered that the future steps for improvement should be of mutual benefit to both the countries, more specifically the TDGD, acting as a sink of the entire river system originating thousands of miles upstream, with full regards to hydrology as well as the geo-political factors over the entire course of flow. Unfortunately, this has not happened in the past in full spirit making both countries suffer so far.
A detailed account has been prepared to delineate the areas under TDGD covering 11 districts inBangladesh and 3 districts in West Bengal (India), and discusses their socio-economic status in terms of relevant parameters, as well as contribution of both agriculture and aquaculture to the country’s gross domestic product. An in-depth analyses have been made, in the field of agriculture, on climate, soil, drainage and hydrology, flood, ground water, and bio-diversity (including dominating mangrove species) characteristics. Vulnerability of the TDGD, being mostly low lying, to climate-induced disasters, has been highlighted rendering the areas as cyclone and flood prone. Global warming, poor drainage and unfavourable hydrology, apart from unethical human interventions, have made the situation worse threatening the livelihood for the future. The present status and future suggestions for improvement in crops, both for high yield and tolerance to soil and water stress situations, cropping system, soil management, crop water productivity, flood control and drainage have been discussed with reference to TDGD. It has been recommended to practise the micro-watershed approach through storing and recycling of excess water as an effective integrated water management strategy for bringing more area under irrigation during dry season and draining of excess water during rainy season in the otherwise pre-dominantly monocropped area with rainfed rice. Land shaping and construction of on-farm reservoir or use of derelict channels for community use have been suggested for effective implementation of the technology. However, integrated farming should be the ideal approach for higher crop water productivity relevant particularly for the water- and other input-scarce areas like TDGD. It has been suggested to work out the future availability and demand for water under different commodities for careful and long term planning of this scarce commodity. From this point of view, the trend for increasing abstraction of ground water for irrigation and urban use should be carefully studied from the point of view of rate of recharge of the ground water and scope for intrusion of saline ground water into coastal inlands with saline water. Limited applications made so far in the lower Ganges delta on flood forecasting, which could mitigate the sufferings substantially, have been highlighted. In the same context, necessity for rapid and efficient network for early trans-continent cyclone warning system needs no elaboration.
In the field of aquaculture, scope for high remunerative return has been illustrated in the background of socio-economic benchmarking and other characteristics described therein. Different farming practices, both for sweet and saline water, have been discussed highlighting the scope for integrated practice for agriculture-aquaculture as well as that for marine aquaculture in the TDGD. It has been stressed to monitor critically the impact of brackish water aquaculture on the ecology of the area, in general, including the mangrove swamps due to saline water use.
Following a SWOT analyses detailed projections on nature of impacts have been made of specific interventions in the field of agriculture, aquaculture, their combined applications, non-farm/ allied activities, and integrated TDGD policy. In consequence to these analyses future road map has been suggested for formulation of projects/ sub-projects in five theme areas for TDGD, namely (1) Agriculture: Intensification, diversification and value addition in sustainable agriculture, (2) Aquaculture: Expansion, intensification and diversification of sustainable aquaculture, (3) Integrated system with agriculture and aquaculture, (4) Biodiversity and ecological conservation, and (5) Development of mitigation measures for disaster management. A list of important R&D agencies in both countries for collaboration/ partnership with IWMI in their future endavour for implementation of these projections has also been illustrated.
No comments:
Post a Comment