With the participation of ultra-poor households, an FAO nutrition training programme has recently started at Gopalpur village of Tala upazilla, funded by FAO project “Adaptive Early Recovery in Water Logged Communities of Satkhira District”.  It will be followed by a number of other activities to build resilience of ultra poor, and marginal farmers, to enable them to better cope with seasonal waterlogging which affects the area. 

On 6 December, the project was visited by Ismat Ara Sadique, MP, Honourable State Minister for Public Administration; Mustafa Lutfullah, MP; Sultana Afroz, Joint Secretary, ERD; and Nazmul Ahasan, Deputy Commissioner, Satkhira.  Other elected officials and administrators were also present. 

Following the visit to Tala, a consultation was held in Keshabpur with around 40 local community leaders and administrators on what steps could usefully help in Keshabpur with waterlogging as experienced in that upazilla, chaired by the State Minister.   

Siltation in the river system was identified as a leading caused of drainage problems; discussions covered the need for tidal river management (TRM) across the low lying catchment areas alongside Kabadak, Hari and Bhodra river systems. During the dialogue, various government line departments proposed the introduction of various forms of cultivation and efficient utilization of dykes in the gher, cultivation of eel and crab in the water-logged areas, building submersible RCC roads, launching youth programme on alternative livelihoods, etc, as adaptive and preventive measures.  Both the BWDB and the local government engineering department have created area plans to deal with local waterlogging, and necessary excavation and other physical works - these need to be harmonised.

In conclusion the Mike Robson, FAOR in Bangladesh commented on the need to try and solve the waterlogging issue collectively, working across traditional discipline boundaries - to address both the underlying causes (which will take some time), and in the meantime trying also to find approaches to help households cope better with waterlogging when it does occur.