The project is being funded by the Dutch government as part of the Netherlands Development Cooperation.
Over half the population of Bangladesh’s coastal areas live below the poverty line. Improving food production and establishing business opportunities depends on creating effective protection against floods and building irrigation and drainage systems.
The Blue Gold programme will cover 25 polders - tracts of low lying land enclosed and protected by embankments or dykes - with a combined area of 160,000ha. The aim is to establish and empower rural community co-operatives so that they can sustainably manage their defence, drainage and irrigation infrastructure.
One of the main components of the programme is the creation of 600 new co-operatives - to work alongside the 250 that have already been formed – and equipping them with technical, advocacy, communication and project management skills to strengthen water management. Mott MacDonald will also advise on irrigation, drainage, land and fisheries management techniques to improve productivity to create more income. It will also be working to provide greater knowledge and strengthen business development.
“The project builds on lessons learned from previous programmes, including the Integrated Planning for Sustainable Water Management programme (IPSWAM) that we have been involved in since 2007,” said Hero Heering, Mott MacDonald project director. “It takes into account new insights in how to deal with challenges created by the dynamic rivers of Bangladesh. IPSWAM has improved agricultural yields by up to 50%."
Blue Gold will be operational in 2013 and extend over a six year period. The project will be led by Mott MacDonald, in association with Fem Consult based in the Netherlands, Socioconsult, BETS, and IDE based in Bangladesh.
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