Background

 

The Crossing Boundaries (CB) Project, which officially started in 2005, offers excellent opportunities and an added impetus in the institute's continued efforts in IWRM-focused educational and research programme. The South Asian Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs), based in Hyderabad, India and the Irrigation and Water Engineering group at Wageningen University, the Netherlands are implementing the CB project. The five partner institutions of the project in South Asia are:

• Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Dhaka

• Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), BUET

• Centre for Water Resources, Anna University, India

• Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

• Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

• Nepal Engineering College, Kathmandu, Nepal

 

The CB project aims at capacity development in IWRM in South Asia. The overall project objective is to strengthen integrated and gender-sensitive water resources management policy and practice in South Asia by means of a regional, collaborative, partnership-based capacity building programme for active water professionals through higher education, innovation-focused research & knowledge base development, and networking.  Strengthening of regional collaboration in South Asia is supported through awarding SAWA (South Asia WAter) fellowships to students for obtaining a degree in IWRM.  Some other major activities include introducing three core course modules to the post-graduate programmes in the partner institutions: IWRM, Gender and Water in South Asia, and Interdisciplinary Field Research Methodology, organizing yearly research workshops and staff training workshops on different aspects of IWRM, training of students and exchange of students among partner institutions, and holding international conferences.

 

 

South Asian WAter (SAWA) Fellowships

 

SAWA PhD Fellows

 

 

 

1. Md. Mahbubul Alam

Supervisor: Professor Abul Fazal M. Saleh

Title:

Poverty Alleviation through Improved Water Management in a Deltaic Tidal Plain

 

Specific aims:

• To assess the potentials for further development of irrigation in the project through conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater

• To evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of different irrigation options

• To assess the potentiality of increasing agricultural productivity through irrigation

• To assess the impact of irrigation on alleviation of poverty

 

 

2. Faruq Ahmed Mohiuddin

Supervisor:  Professor Anisul Haque

Title:

Development of an Integrated River Bank Erosion Management Framework in Tidal Plain

 

Research Objectives

The overall research objective is to develop a river bank erosion management framework by integrating standards of techno-socio-economic processes of various alternative measures through an institutional frame to minimize the river bank erosion damages.

 

Specific research objectives:

• To find out the procedure for selection of vulnerable eroded reaches (i.e. identification of erosion prone banks – location, length and severity) to be brought under erosion management framework;

• To identify and categorize the associated risk integrating standards of techno-socio-economic processes and develop a procedure for risk management plan;

• To develop procedure for selecting the adaptive, adequate erosion mitigation measures for identified erosion vulnerable banks during (a) Pre-erosion management operation; (b) erosion emergency management operation; © post-erosion management operation.

 

 

3. Sultan Ahmed

Supervisor:  Professor Jahir Uddin Chowdhury

Title:

Integration of eco-hydrological criteria in water management in Deltaic Floodplain

 

Research Objectives

To develop an analytical framework to predict impact of water management on eco-hydrology and livelihood

 

Specific research objectives:

• To assess the effect of landscape on the ecohydrological characteristics of the floodplain of a distributary in the Ganges delta

• To determine the role of flood flow process on the ecological functions of the river floodplain system

• To develop relationship for prediction of impact of flood management intervention on ecological resources and livelihood

 

 

4. Muktarun Islam

Supervisor:  Professor M. Mozzammel Hoque

Title:

Evaluation of water availability for agricultural water supply in the southwest area

 

Research Objectives

Assessment of water availability to improve irrigation coverage of the study area

 

Specific research objectives:

• To evaluate water resources with respect to quantification of surface water and groundwater resources available for irrigation purpose

• To evaluate the present water utilization pattern and its impact on the society

• To develop an appropriate irrigation water management plan

• To evaluate the prospect of conjunctive use of available surface water and groundwater for irrigation

• To evaluate the prospect of conjunctive use of saline water and fresh water for irrigation

 

 

5. Motaher Hossain

Supervisor:  Professor M. Munsur Rahman

Title

Development of Cost Effective Eco-Friendly Water Control Structure in the Madhumoti-Nabaganga River System

 

Research Objectives

• Piloting the laboratory  development of Cost Effective, Eco-Friendly Water Control Structure in the Gorai -Madhumati-Nabaganga River System

• Study the river bank protection & ecological restoration and protection of socio economic assets.

• Develop a generalized form of technically verified , Cost Effective, Eco-Friendly Water Control Structure which can be replicated under similar environment.

 

 

 

SAWA MSc and Diploma Fellows

 

1^st batch MSc SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

2^nd batch Diploma SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

2^nd batch MSc SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

3^rd batch PGD SAWA fellows

 

 

 

3^rd batch MSc SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

4^th batch PGD SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

4^th batch MSc SAWA fellows

 

 

 

 

Three core courses

 

The existing course ‘IWRM’ was strengthened and two new courses ‘Gender and Water’ and ‘Interdisciplinary Field Research Methodology’ (IFRM) were introduced in the curriculum with the formal approval of the Academic Council of the University in 2007. 

 

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

The Institute had already been teaching the IWRM course; however, the course outlines were revised following the input from the CB project.   The IWRM course, with its revised contents, was first offered in April’07 semester.  The IWRM course is being taught jointly by Prof. Jahir Uddin Chowdhury and Dr. Mashfiqus Salehin.

 

Interdisciplinary Field Research Methodology in Water Management (IFRM)

 

The IFRM course was offered in the October’07 semester for the first time.   The course is being taught by Prof. Shah Alam Khan and Dr. Mashfiqus Salehin.  Besides, Dr. M. Shahjahan Mondal and Dr. Hamidul Huq make useful contributions.   The course was designed by the instructors on the basis of fruitful experiences from training/workshops organized by SaciWATERs.   The course is taught in several modules: research and research methods, quantitative social investigation techniques (sampling, questionnaire Survey), qualitative investigation techniques (PRA tools), stakeholder analysis, and hydro-ecological investigation (assessment of water quantity, physico-chemical parameters, ecology, and agro-ecology). The class lectures are more of an interactive nature, involving in-class exercises as well as take-home assignments. The theoretical lectures are followed by classes in which students get oriented with the methodology of research concept development (SPQR, research questions and conceptual framework) and go through a series of exercises, finally developing a research proposal.  The students are divided into a number of groups; each group comes up with a draft research proposal that they would execute in the field.  Two aspects that the students are made to focus on are ‘interdisciplinarity’ in research and ‘socio-technical’ research.

 

The central focus of this course is the 5-day field practical component, in which the students execute their field research on interdisciplinary, socio-technical issues, using a variety of social (PRAs, stakeholder analysis) and technical tools.   In the last two years, all the students of this course were brought to the site of Bakkhali Rubber Dam project in Cox’s Bazar.   Apart from executing field research, other activities of the students included preparation of daily reports of their field research, analysis and preparation of research report, and appearing at oral examinations.  At the end of the field component, students submitted the reports and made presentations.  Each student also had to peer review a report from another group.  

 

Since the rubber dam project in Bakkhali is a project of LGED, good logistical supports were received from local LGED office (e.g. service of the socio-economist, use of the conference room as computer lab as well as students’ activity room). 

 

Gender and Water

 

‘Gender and Water’ course was introduced in October’07 semester for the first time.   The course was designed on the basis of experiences from training workshop organized by SaciWATERs and consultation with academicians of other universities in Dhaka.  For the first two years the course was taught by Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala (the other instructor Dr. Tarekul Islam was on leave). Dr. Hamidul Huq (Research Coordinator) also taught some topics of this course. A number of guest lecturers (from Dhaka University, Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, and NGOs) were invited to give a few lectures on a number of topics.   Dr. Bala attended the training workshop on Water and Equity, which helped him prepare for this course to some extent.  From next year, Dr. Tarekul Islam, who had previously received training on Gender and Water under the CB project, will teach the course along with Dr. Bala.  The Gender and Water course has generated a lot of interest among the students; it has attracted students as well as a few faculty members from other departments of BUET.    

 

 

SAWA Fellow Training

 

SAWA PhD Training

 

All the five PhD SAWA Fellows and the Research Coordinator of IWFM, BUET participated in a two weeks long training workshop on Interdisciplinary research Methodology, held in Kalina Campus of Mumbai University and in Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mubai, India, during 17 – 30 April 2008. The main focus of this training was on research methodology and conceptual inputs on Interdisciplinary Approach. Resource persons of this training were mainly from TISS. Few other resource persons were invited from outside TISS but from India. Dr. Peter Mollinga conducted sessions for one whole day on Interdisciplinary in IWRM. The SAWA PhD Fellows and RCs from IWFM of BUET, CWR of Anna University and PGIA of Peradeniya University participated in this training.  The fellows and the RCs had opportunities of exchanging learning, experience, ideas, perceptions and knowledge with each other. The SaciWATERs through its partner TISS organized this training.

 

 

SAWA MSc and PGD Training

 

The 1^st batch SAWA Fellows participated in the regional training on ‘Field Research Methodology’, held in Mumbai, India during September 2009.  The training was organized by Tata Institute of Social Science.  The 2^nd batch SAWA Fellows participated in the regional training on ‘Participatory Approach in Interdisciplinary Research’, held in Nepal during September 2008.  The training was jointly organized by NepalEngineering College and SaciWATERs.  The trainings made significant contribution in augmenting knowledge base of the SAWA Fellows in the area of IWRM and participatory research.

 

 

STAFF TRAINING

 

The faculty members of the Institute have participated in different training workshops organized by SaciWATERs.  The Institute has mostly been selective in nominating the participants to the staff trainings organized by SaciWATERs such that the learning could be directly utilized in the post-graduate courses.  Prof. Chowdhury and Dr. Salehin, who teach ‘IWRM’, attended the staff training workshop on IWRM in Sri Lanka.  The IFRM course is being taught by Dr. Shah Alam Khan and Dr. Mashfiqus Salehin, who attended the staff training workshops on Field Research Methodology in the Netherlands/Spain and in Dhaka previously organized under the CB project.   Dr. Shahjahan Mondal, a regular contributor to the IFRM course, and Dr. Shah Alam Khan attended the workshop on participatory field research methodology.   Dr. Hamidul Huq and Dr. Mondal accompanied the SAWA fellows in their SAWA training on field research methodology.  Dr. Huq is a regular contributor to the IFRM and Gender and Water courses.  The Gender and Water Course is being taught by Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala who participated in the training workshop on Water and Equity.  Dr. Tarekul Islam who had received training on gender and water will be teaching the course with Dr. Bala from next semester.  Dr. Munsur Rahman and Dr. Asad Hussain participated in the training workshop on “Water and Ecosystems” in Kathmandu.  Dr. Rahman is an instructor of the course, River and Floodplain Management, and Dr. Hussain is an instructor of the course, Water Quality Management. 

 

Summary of participants in Staff Training from IWFM

 

 

 

 

Case study development

 

BCAS and BUET have worked together to develop case studies.  Preparation of six case studies is near completion.  Baseline reports of the six case studies have been prepared based on extensive primary and secondary data and literature review.  Six cases have been prepared from the reports.  As suggested by the SaciWATERs, the case studies were circulated among the partner institutions and SaciWATERs so that they can be enriched from feedbacks from other institutions.   The case studies are to be used in class room teaching.  The topics of six cases and the researchers/academicians from BCAS and BUET responsible for their development are given below:

 

Case study topic	BCAS	BUET
Coastal zone policy	Mr. Dwijen Mallick	Dr. Anisul Haque
Environmental flow	Mr. Mozaharul Alam	Dr. M. Shah Alam Khan
Erosion and accretion	Mr. MD. Golam Rabbani	Dr. Munsur Rahman
Wetland conservation	Mr. Sardar S. Alam	Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala
Irrigation water use efficiency	Ms. Nishat Chowdhury	Dr. M. Shahjahan Mondal
Land use allocation in coastal zone	Mr. Alauddin Ahmed	Dr. Asad Hussain

 

Starting from the April 2009 semester, the case studies are planned to be used starting from April 2009 semester in the following courses:

 

Case study topic	Courses
Coastal zone policy	Coastal Zone Management
Environmental flow	Field Research Methodology
Erosion and accretion	River and Floodplain Management
Wetland conservation	Water Quality Management
Irrigation water use efficiency	Agricultural Water Management
Land use allocation in coastal zone	Coastal Zone Management

 

 

 

Training workshop organized by IWFM

 

The previous staff training workshop on ‘Water and Equity’ resulted in a teaching module.  Since no more new courses can be introduced, SaciWATERs had suggested that the same be offered as a module (training workshop) at each partner institution every year.  The faculty members Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala and Dr. Shajahan Mondal who attended the workshop on Water and Equity organized a two-day workshop at IWFM on 2-4 August, 2008 on ‘Water and Equity’.  A total of 25 participants, including seven 2^nd batch SAWA fellows, 13 non-SAWA fellow students, and five young researchers from BCAS, took part in the workshop.  The workshop generated considerable interest among the students; however, it was not possible to accommodate all of the interested students.  Majority of the lectures were given by the faculty members of IWFM; a few lectures were given by external resource persons.

 

IWFM is going to organize a training workshop on ‘Gender and Water’ during 11-13 July 2009.  The workshop will be attended by SAWA (PhD, MSc and Diploma) Fellows as well as by interested non-SAWA fellow students.   The Institute is also planning to organize the second training workshop on ‘Water and Equity’ in August 2009.  In addition, there is a plan to organize a series of one or two day workshops at regular intervals o a variety of topics, including ‘water and ecosystem’, ‘water and poverty’, ‘water and health’, etc.

 

 

Stakeholder meetings & interaction

 

Under the CB project, a half-day seminar on ‘Postgraduate Research in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)’ was organized by IWFM in BUET, Dhaka on 17 December 2007 inviting stakeholders from different levels. The IWFM took an advantage by aligning this seminar with the BUET’s celebration of ‘60 Years of Engineering Education in Bangladesh’.   The Seminar was chaired by Prof. Dr. Anisul Haque, Director of IWFM with Prof. Dr. A. M. M. Safiullah, and the Vice-Chancellor of BUET as the Chief Guest.  Prof. Dr. Rezaur Rahman, the then Coordinator of CB project, IWFM, BUET conducted the Seminar. Central objectives of this seminar were to share the IWRM framework in the context of Bangladesh, themes and plans of interdisciplinary research programmes of CB project of IWFM, BUET with faculty members from other department of BUET and a host of stakeholders related to the research programme designed for the SAWA fellows of IWFM under the CB project.

 

A total of 73 representatives from different departments and institutes of BUET, BCAS, BWDB, LGED, WARPO, IWM and different line agencies of the government participated in the seminar.  The SAWA PhD, MSc and Post Graduate Diploma Fellows from both 1^st and 2^nd batches also participated in the seminar. In his welcome speech Dr. Mashfiqus Salehin of IWFM elucidated the Crossing Boundaries Project, Prof. Dr. Jahir Uddin Chowdhury of IWFM presented his paper on ‘Integrated Water Resources Management Concept and Actions Needed for Bangladesh’. Dr. Hamidul Huq, Research Coordinator of CB project, presented the Research Programme under the CB project in BUET. Engr. Dhali Abdul Qauim, of BWDB and Egr. Bashir Uddin Ahmed of LGED made presentations on their projects on IWRM in the Southwest area of Bangladesh in which the SAWA Fellows would conduct their researches.

 

 

Two views of the Seminar

 

In open discussions, the speakers touched upon the importance of transboundary water sharing issues in the context of IWRM in Bangladesh, and the need for training of students on social, political and ethical aspects of water management along with the technical aspects.  The designated discussants, Director General of BWDB and the Superintendent Engineer of LGED, emphasised on exploration, through research, the impasses of people’s participation and strength of local knowledge in water resources management project and the need for portraying both positive and negative impacts of water projects, which would contribute in improvement of project processes. They further emphasized on the importance of collaboration between academic institutions and water project implementing agencies, and stressed on the need of integrating human resources with land, water and other resources in the IWRM framework. The themes of research programme - “research with an impact”, “sustainable management of land, water and ecological resources” under the CB project were appreciated by the discussants. The Chief Guest of the Seminar, the BUET Vice-Chancellor Prof. Safiullah, reiterated the importance of interdisciplinary research, teaching interdisciplinary approach and conducting ‘case studies’ of water projects towards enriching the knowledge base of IWRM and win over the challenges of engineering education encompassing interdisciplinarity.  

 

 

Research workshop/ International Conference

 

4^th Research Workshop on Interfacing poverty, Livelihood and Climate Change in Water Resources Development: Lessons in South Asian Context

 

Two PhD (Md. Mahbubul Alam and Mukhtarun Islam) and one Diploma (Muhammad Golam Mustafa) SAWA fellows presented papers at the 4^th Research Workshop on "Interfacing poverty, Livelihood and Climate Change in Water Resources Development: Lessons in South Asian Context”, organized by Nepal Engineering College (NEC) and SaciWATERs and held during 4-6 May, 2009, in Kathmandu, Nepal.   The paper of another MSc SAWA fellow, Sarah Binte Faruq, was accepted for presentation (and subsequently published in the proceedings); however, she could not attend the workshop due to pregnancy related complications.   Besides the SAWA fellows, two other M.Sc students of IWFM also presented papers at the workshop.  Two faculty members of IWFM, Dr. Sujit Kumar Bala and Dr. Saiful Islam, also attended the workshop.

 

 

International Conference on Water Resources Policy in South Asia

 

One PhD and three MSc SAWA fellows and one faculty member of IWFM have participated in the International Conference on Water Resources Policy in South Asia, organized by SaciWATERs and held during December 17-20, 2008, in Colombo. Each of the participants presented a paper at the conference.  One of the SAWA fellows from the 1st batch, Sonia Binte Murshed, won the best ‘Young Professional Paper’ award at the Conference.  The title of Sonia’s paper was “Water use conflict between agriculture and fisheries in a selected water resources development project in Bangladesh”.  Sonia wrote her paper based on her M.Sc thesis work, and the paper was co-authored by her supervisor Professor Shah Alam Khan.   Interviews with Sonia and Nazmun Naher (another fellow from the same batch), as ‘women water professionals of South Asia’, were published in the SaciWATERs news update of the Conference.  Nazmun Naher presented a paper titled “Gender sensitivity analysis in small scale irrigation project”.  Besides, M.Sc fellow Sydur Rahman, PhD fellow Mr. Sultan Ahmed, former M.Sc students of IWFM, Asifa Asharafi and Animesh Gain (currently a PhD student at IWFM) also presented papers in the conference.  Dr. Dwijen Mallick from BCAS also attended the conference.

 

 

Third South Asia Water Research Conference on Innovative Modeling Approaches for IWRM

 

The “Third south Asia Water Research Conference on Innovative Modeling Approaches for IWRM” was held during 24-26 May 2008 in BUET. This conference was jointly organized by SaciWATERs, IWFM and BCAS.  Prof. Dr. A.M.M. Safiullah, Vice-chancellor of BUET spoke in the inaugural session of the conference as Chief Guest.  In his speech, Professor Safiullah highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary approach to understanding water resources issues, from a pro-poor, human development perspective, with an emphasis on exchange, interaction and collaboration at South Asia level.  The longer term aim is to establish a South Asian ‘Virtual Water University’. That will build regional capacity on Integrated Water Resources Management, gender and water in South Asia. The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Anisul Huq, Director of IWFM, BUET and addressed by Dr. N. C. Narayanan of SaciWATERs, Dr. Atiq Rahman of BCAS and Dr. Shah Alam of IWFM, BUET.  About 200 representatives including the participants from different stakeholders and water research organizations, education institutions, environmental organizations and civil society groups attended the inaugural session. Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Professor, Tufts University, USA presented the Keynote paper on Water Diplomacy in the first technical session.

Technical sessions were attended by nearly 70 participants.  A total of 26 papers were presented in this 3 day long Conference.  Paper presenters were from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Germany, UK, USA and Bangladesh.  A pre-conference paper volume was published by IWFM, which was distributed among the participants.

 

   

 

 

Research workshop on water supply, sanitation and wastewater management

 

Dr. Hamidul Huq, Research Coordinator of CB project, IWFM, BUET participated in the workshop on "Water supply, sanitation and wastewater management", held in PGIA, Peradeniya University, Kandy, Sri Lanka during 24- 26 September 2007. Dr. Huq contributed a paper titled 'Water and Livelihoods: Exploring conjunctural crisis and counter-development' in this workshop. Academics, Experts, Practitioners and Researchers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have participated in this workshop and contributed 23 presentations. Project Director of Crossing Boundaries Project of SaciWATERs and its Education and Research Fellows also participated in this workshop. SaciWATERS, in partnership with PGIA organised this workshop. Both soft and hard copy of the papers of this workshop are available in IWFM library.