Bangladesh has called for stronger regional cooperation to tackle worsening drought, groundwater depletion and water stress, with millions of hectares of land in the country’s northwestern region already vulnerable to drought.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo made the call on Tuesday at a ministerial dialogue titled “Accelerating Drought Resilience” at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Mintoo said about 5.46 million hectares of land in the northwestern region are drought-prone, while groundwater extraction through about 16,000 deep tube wells has caused water levels to decline rapidly in many areas.
“Drought and land degradation are interrelated in Bangladesh. The northwestern region of the country is regularly facing drought and declining groundwater levels,” he said.
He also pointed to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, which is damaging agricultural land and freshwater sources, while floods and river erosion are further complicating the country’s water and land management challenges.
The minister stressed the need for effective regional cooperation, equitable water distribution, sustainable water management and technology transfer to address the growing risks.
He called for effective water management in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin, greater cooperation among neighboring countries and adequate water flow during the dry season.
Steps to tackle drought
Mintoo said new irrigation activities had been restricted in areas facing groundwater depletion, while drought indicators are being monitored through the Bangladesh Agro-Meteorological Information Systems (BAMIS).
Crop-specific advice is also being provided to farmers through SMS, voice calls and mobile apps, he said.
The government has set a target of planting 250 million saplings across the country under the National Green Mission, Mintoo said.
As part of nature-based drought management, an initiative has also been taken to excavate and re-excavate about 20,000km of canals, rivers and water bodies over the next five years.
“This will increase the availability of surface water and reduce pressure on groundwater,” he said, adding that Bangladesh’s experience could be useful to other water-stressed countries.
Mintoo said drought management had been identified as a priority in Bangladesh’s National Adaptation Plan up to 2050.
He welcomed the initiative to launch the International Drought Resilience Observatory and proposed linking Bangladesh’s BAMIS data with the system.
The minister also called for stronger technology transfer to develop and expand crop varieties resilient to drought and salinity.
Call for international framework
Mintoo said Bangladesh faces severe risks from drought and land degradation and called on UNCCD member states to establish a forward-looking, adequately financed and effective international framework for drought resilience based on regional cooperation.
Ministers, deputy ministers and heads of delegations from different countries attended the meeting. Representatives of international and regional organizations, including the FAO, ESCAP, IOM, UNICEF, UNDRR, UNDP, IFAD, AIIB and the African Union, were also present as observers.