Transcript Endogenous Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change

Endogenous Technologies for Adaptation
to Climate Change: examples and lessons
learned
Mozaharul Alam, National Project Coordinator, Bangladesh NAPA
Project, and Research Fellow, BCAS
and
Atiq Rahman, Executive Director, BCAS
Seminar on Development and Transfer of Environmentally Sound
Technologies for Adaptation to Climate Change
14-16 June 2005, Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
About Presentation
• General overview of Bangladesh
• Context of Vulnerability: spatial and temporal
aspects
• Examples of endogenous technologies for reducing
vulnerabilities
• Existing coping strategies to CC variability and
extreme events identified by NAPA Preparation
Process
• Lessons learned
• Concluding Remarks
General Overview
• Located between 20O34/ to 26O38/
north latitude and 88O01/ to 92O42/
east longitude, part of Bengal Basin;
• Area is 147.57 thousand sq. km
– 80 percent Floodplain
– 12 percent Hilly area
– 8 percent Pleistocene Terrace;
• Total population is about 140million
with very low GDP, 360 US$ per
capita;
• Climate is characterized by
– high temperature, heavy rainfall, often-
excessive humidity, seasonal variations
General Overview
• Socio-economic Situation
– Human Development Index has improved from 0.35
in 1980 to 0.509 in 2002, still very low;
– Income poverty has decline from about 59 percent
to 49 percent over the last decade;
– Income poverty in the rural area is higher compare
to national level income poverty – 53 percent
– Human poverty trend shows considerable
improvement over the last two decades – 61 to 35
percent.
General Overview
• Bangladesh is at the lower
end of the Himalayan
drainage ecosystem
• Comprises only 8 percent of
the GBM system and carry
about 92 percent of water
flow
• Average monsoon flow
varies from 80,000 t0
140,000 cubic meter/sec
• This is second to Amazon
System
• 1.7 to 2.4 billion tons of
sediments carried by the
river system through
Bangladesh
General Overview
• There are 230 rivers in the
country and 53 are transboundary
in nature
• The transboundary rivers have
been greatly interfered – diversion
of water in dry season
• Virtually – Bangladesh is a
conglomerate of islands
• Very little structurally solid rocks,
mostly flexible mud
• 8 percent of area is water
Context of Vulnerability: spatial and
temporal aspects
1998
Context of Vulnerability: spatial and
temporal aspects
Context of Vulnerability: spatial and
temporal aspects
• Coast area of Bangladesh is
very prone to cyclone and
storm surges
• Coastal island and sea
facing area are more prone
compare to other coastal
area
• Intensity of cyclone varies
and damage as well
Context of Vulnerability: spatial and
temporal aspects
• Saline affected area is showing
increasing trend
• Surface water salinity, salinity
in the groundwater are major
concern
Area in thousand ha.
1400
1200
1000
800
600
1966-75
400
1997
200
0
2-4 ds/m 4-8 ds/m 8-15 ds/m > 15 ds/m
Salinity Concentration
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: cyclone and
storm surges
• Structural measures
– Multipurpose cyclone centres:
emergency shelter
• Non-structural measures
– Storage of food (dry and
drinking water) and seeds
underneath soil using jar
• These structural and non-
structural measures safe life and
provide emergency support
before relief operation
• Can not protect livestock and
other assets
Dry food
Drinking
water
Seeds
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: flood/wetland
• Floating Agriculture: Baira
(hydroponics)
• Traditionally been practicing
by some communities in
southern districts
• Recently this technology has
been introduced in other
wetland area through
organized extension under
environmental-developmental
projects (RVCC, SEMP etc.)
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: flood/wetland
• BCAS is working in this
area since 1992
• Working with peoples
in promoting
livelihoods
• Over the last 4 years
BCAS is promoting
extension of Baira
technology under RVCC
and SEMP project
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: flood/wetland
• Baira preparation
– Collection of materials (waterhyacinth and other aquatic
vegetation like ipomoea
fistulosa)
– Making a floating bed (May to
July)
• Crop selection
– Mostly vegetables, both
summer and winter
• Cultivation on Baira platform
– Ball or cushion like structure
– Seedling raising
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: flood/wetland
• Growing vegetables
– Seeding raising is more lucrative
than vegetables growing
– People also grow vegetables for
own consumption and sell
surplus to the market
• On average profit is about
120 to 130 percent
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: flood/wetland
• Protecting house and
homestead
– Measures varies by social
groups
– Raising plinth of houses
– plant flood tolerant trees and
plants around their houses
and homesteads to protect
them from flood impacts and
erosion
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: Salinity
• Structural Measures
– Coastal Embankment
• Promotion of salt tolerant variety
– Bangladesh has developed salt tolerant
crop variety able to tolerate 8 dS/m
• Improper management and ill
design increase sedimentation and
lead to drainage congestion
Sluice Gate
Village
Embankment
Isamati River
Source of Diagram: Jennifer Pouliotte, University of
Guelph and Dr. Barry Smit, University of Guelph
Endogenous technologies for adaptation
to vulnerability context: Salinity
• Land flooded with saline water
• Change from rice to shrimp farming
• Initiatives supported by government
Source of Diagram: Jennifer Pouliotte, University of
Guelph and Dr. Barry Smit, University of Guelph
Examples of Existing Coping Strategies
Identified by NAPA Preparation Process
• Existing Coping Strategies
– Shrimp Farming (saline and brackish)
– Poly Culture (shrimp and rice farming)
– Salt Panning
– Collection of drinking water from long distance
– Rain water harvesting
– Keep the land fallow
– Migration
– Construction of Polder/embankment
– Afforestation
– Take shelter during cyclone following the signals
Examples of Existing Coping Strategies
Identified by NAPA Preparation Process
• Existing Coping Strategies
– Floating agriculture during flooding (monsoon) season
– Development of salinity tolerant species by BARI and
BRRI
– Establishment of shallow tube-well for irrigation to reduce
impact of salinity
– Adoption of sort duration crop variety based on situation
– Selection of variety, supplementary irrigation and
drainage depending on season and temperature
– Artificial management of temperature such as use of wet
jute bags over shade, use exhaust fan (hot weather),
electric bulbs for heating (winter season)
Lessons Learned
• Endogenous technologies for adaptation is context specific
– Results depend on socio-economic condition of the community,
level of motivation, marketing possibility of product
– Availability of raw material, for example water hyacinth and aquatic
vegetation
• Need mediator/promoter for wider dissemination
• Training is necessary
• Trust building is must, for example trust on early warning
on cyclone and storm surge
• Challenges
– Transfer to other area, need action research, need to understand
community and ecosystem
– Functionality of these technologies under additional stress (CC)?? –
need further work
Concluding Remarks
• Both hard and soft measures are necessary for better
results
• All vulnerable sectors (water, agriculture, housing, health
etc) of ecosystem/locality need to be addressed, should
be people centred, to promote sustainable development
• Limitation of endogenous and existing technologies need
to be assessed in the context of climate change and
variability
• Technologies for adaptation to address future climate
change can be built on existing practices and measures
related to climate variability and extreme
Acknowledgement
• Researchers and staff of
– Component 2.2.1 of Sustainable Environment Management
Programme (SEMP)
– Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change (RVCC)
Thank You