Transcript Water Logging in Keshabpur: by Royal Holloway, University of London

Water Logging in Keshabpur:
A Focus to the Coping Strategies of the People
by
Neelopal Adri
Royal Holloway, University of London
Study Area: Keshabpur Thana in Jessore District
Target Unions:
Sagardari
Trimohini
Bidyanandakathi
Sufolakathi
Study area
Total Population: 200,229
Source: Keshabpur Thana Information Booklet, 2008
Most of the area is waterlogged for the last 10 years.
Research Objectives
Goals
To reduce water logging in Keshabpur Thana by taking
effective policy decision.
Objectives
• To investigate the coping practice of vulnerable group
in the study area.
• To find out the effectiveness of ongoing GO, NGO
programs in response to water logging problem.
Methodology
Participatory Vulnerability Assessment (PVA) &
Questionnaire Survey (sample size 270; 5% of total 5500 poor households)
Coping
Common Local
Practice of Coping
General
Gender specific
Recent Institutional
Initiative of Coping
GO
NGO
CBO
Prioritization of problems
in Keshabpur; FGD’08
Major Problem faced by people
due to water logging; FGD, 2008
1. Inundation agricultural land
2. Health
3. Reduced food security
4. Reduced social security of
women
5. Sanitation
6. Drinking water
Major Findings:
Common Local Practice of Coping:
(1)Structural Modification
(2)Agricultural Coping
•Late varieties of Aman are sown
•Seed beds are prepared by raising the
ground
•34% respondents changed occupation
due to water logging
People increase plinth
height of house and latrines
(3) Livelihood Coping
•Taking loans generally with high
interest rate
•Sell valuable household assets
•Migration (17% families found)
Major Findings:
Gender specific coping
Coping with water borne diseases
•Use of water purification tablet
•Fetch water from long distance
•Boil water
•Rainwater harvesting
•Consult local health care centers
•Using cheap ointments is common in case
of skin disease
4%
7%
20%
1%
68%
boil water
use water purification tablet
filter
directly drink
other
Major Findings:
Gender Specific Coping: Sanitation
•Increase ground level of toilet
•Defecate in the field/ dry land at night
•Defecate on the roof
•defecate on a paper inside the house and then
throw that to the open water
•Women suffering from menstruation use
unhygienic pieces of cloths inside
homes and wash them in dirty water
defecate
in secret
places
68%
use
latrine
32%
Women cope by changing defecation places; questionnaire survey, 08
Major Findings:
Recent Institutional Initiative of Coping
Government Programs
(2) Management of
refugee camps
Only 15% respondents got the benefit of the RLRP. This
(1) Reducing Livelihood Risk Project
project is limited to only two unions.
Major Findings:
Recent Institutional Initiative of Coping
NGO Programs
Cooking is
done on a
higher
platform
(1) Ring based vegetable gardening (2) sustainable cooking technology
Ring Based Vegetable Gardening
big cement rings are filled up with suitable soils. These rings with soils
are then used to plant trees and vegetables. This technology reduces
the risk of water logging as vegetation is accepted to grow at a higher
level than the ground.
Major Findings:
Community based coping effort: Embankment construction
• people constructed an embankment covering Trimohini and
sagardari unions with polythene, plastic and bamboo and
restricted water from overflowing the crop field.
• people contributed money for buying polythene, bamboos etc.
and those, who couldn’t, just became involved in the physical
labor.
Findings on effectiveness of GO, NGO projects in context of WL
DPHE
Local
Health
Centers
School
Micro Credit
Organizations
Relief
giving
Agency
P
Union
Parishad
Govt’s
safety net
program
Refugee
Shelter
NGO
Health
Project
Only 29%
respondents
have
institutional
membership
of local NGOs.
Source:
Questionnaire
survey, 2008
Figure 5.1: People’s Access to Institution (Venn diagram drawn during FGD)
Findings on effectiveness of GO, NGO projects in context of WL
Projects for improving water logging scenario:
a) TRM
b) Kabodak re excavation
c) Government’s canal excavation
d) Community based embankment
construction
Projects for coping with waterlogged
situation
TRM
a) Reducing Livelihood Risk Project (RLRP)
b) Ring based gardening
c) Producing bamboo crafts
d) Community based open water fish cultivation
e) Water and Sanitation GO
f) Water and sanitation NGO
Major Findings:
Effective programs:
Constraints towards reducing
vulnerability:
 Kabodak re excavation
Canal excavation
Community based
embankment construction
Reducing livelihood risk
project
Ring based vegetable
gardening.
 Climate Change ( and its
effects people’s livelihood and
health)
 Poor coordination between
stakeholders.
Little scope to participate in
the development project
 Limited institutional
initiative of coping.
Lack of prioritization of
problem area
 lack of gender sensitive
initiative
Policy recommendation:
(1)Facilitating Drainage
(2) Strengthening Research and Activities on Agriculture and
health
(3) Coordinated approach of all stakeholders
(4) Strengthen institutional coping
(5) Emphasizing problem areas in government projects
(6) Creating enabling environment for women
Thank You All……