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WB okays $120m for improved irrigation


Published : 10 Mar 2021 09:33 PM | Updated : 10 Mar 2021 11:25 PM

The World Bank on Wednesday approved $120 million to help Bangladesh improve food security by enhancing climate resilience and productivity of irrigated agriculture and fisheries. 

The Climate-Smart Agriculture and Water Management Project will rehabilitate and modernize public Flood Control, Drainage, and Irrigation (FCDI) infrastructures. 

This will help improve irrigation and drainage service in over 115,000 hectares where flood damage to crops will be reduced by 60 percent. 

The project will help increase the incomes of 170,000 poor people who are vulnerable to climate change. Half of the beneficiaries will be women. 

Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said, "In Bangladesh, more than 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, but their exposure to climate change and natural disasters makes them vulnerable."  

She said climate-resilient water management provided in this project combined with increased agricultural productivity will ensure income growth, protect livelihoods and build resilience of the local communities to climate change. 

The project has identified 19 FCI schemes in poor and climate-change vulnerable areas for rehabilitation. 

It will also provide training to farmers on climate-smart technologies, experimentation with new crops, and post-harvest management. 

The project will also support the promotion of coastal aquaculture, including the integration of rice and fish or shrimp farming, setting up of cold storage facilities and improvements of local markets. 

This will improve the productivity of fisheries by almost 40 percent and rice  by 7.5 percent. 

 Abel Lufafa, World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist and task team leader for the project, said, “Flood control and drainage systems play a critical role to ensure  agricultural productivity and growth." 

  He said, “Repairing and upgrading of the selected schemes will improve their capacity to regulate the excess water during the monsoon and water deficits in the post-monsoon period.”  

  The credit is from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), and has a 35-year term, including a five-year grace period.