Monsoons, Rivers, and Tides : A Water Sector Diagnostic of Bangladesh
Water has always been at the heart of Bangladesh’s remarkable development story. Avoiding flood-induced famines and attaining food security were the defining motives in Bangladesh’s water management since the pre-independent days.1 These helped exp...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/undefined/099650012142134358/P1714520db34b70d2087bf0d6af64015b20 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36754 |
| Summary: | Water has always been at the heart of
Bangladesh’s remarkable development story. Avoiding
flood-induced famines and attaining food security were the
defining motives in Bangladesh’s water management since the
pre-independent days.1 These helped expand flood-control and
modernize irrigation, strengthening its agro-based economy.
Later in the century, catastrophic cholera epidemics and the
growing irrigation demand pushed extensive investments in
shallow tube wells, which remain the primary water source
across the country. Today, water-intensive industries such
as ready-made garments and textiles make up more than 85
percent of its exports, steering the nation’s job market and
rapid economic growth. These structural changes, combined
with the pressures from high population growth and climate
change uncertainties, have now become key factors shaping
Bangladesh’s approach to water management. With the
Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP), the country has begun an
ambitious and holistic water management strategy. The plan
puts water at its center for economic development and
poverty reduction, and offers an adaptive approach for
devising investment plans under climate uncertainties.2 Its
implementation is not without challenges, because it would
require strong interagency coordination, capacity building,
and vast financial resources. This report documents the role
of water in Bangladesh’s economy and the major water-related
challenges. It aims to help develop a common approach in the
sector among the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), the World
Bank Group, and development partners in alignment with the
BDP goals, the GoB’s Eighth Five-Year Plan (8FYP), and the
World Bank Country Partnership Framework. The diagnostic
assesses evidence from data, literature, and official
documents to produce a synthesis of water-related
challenges, and concludes with a set of priorities for
enabling growth and tackling poverty for the next decade.
Each challenge or priority area may be cross-cutting or
relevant to one or several BDP areas (hotspots). |
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