Tk 44cr project launched for 4 haor districts

Apart from implementing infrastructure development programmes across the country, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) this time has come up with a new approach to help the poorer communities of four haor districts explore their resources for poverty alleviation.

The LGED with financial supports from International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has taken up a five-year pilot project to help 246,000 households come out from acute poverty through redistribution of haor resources in Sunamganj, Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Netrakona, sources in the LGED said.

Under the project titled "Community Based Resource Management Project (CBRMP)", small haors (less than 20 acres) will be leased out on long terms to real fisherman communities for fish cultivation, instead of giving those to influential and large landowners.

The project that involves Tk 44 crore is mainly aimed at ensuring access of the poor people to the haor resources and thus increase their assets and incomes for reducing poverty in the districts comprising about 2200 haors.

Chief Engineer of LGED Shahidul Hassan said his department has taken up the special project for alleviating poverty in the vast haor areas initially in Sunamganj district. He also said the programme would be expanded to other three haor districts -- Netrakona, Kishoreganj and Habiganj -- provided the Sunamganj project becomes successful.

Engineer Hassan, who along with Whip Fazlul Huq Aspia and IFAD officials formally launched the project in Sunamganj on Sunday, said around 2,46,000 households will be benefited from the project.

Project Director of CBRMP Engineer Sheikh Mohammad Mohsin said despite having huge resources and potentials, the people of the haor districts could not get rid of poverty due to ignorance and lack of proper training and credit facilities for them.

He said the project would not only help ensure small haors' lease to the fishermen, it would also provide credits to them for taking such leases and cultivate fishes there.

Funds will also be given to the communities for increased rice production, plantation of swamp trees (Hizal), construction of embankments, re-excavation of beels (water bodies) and ensuring safe sources of drinking waters, he added.

Engineer Mohsin said the people of the haor areas, who used to live in elevated but densely inhabited villages, suffer from land erosion due to wave actions on their island-like villages. The project is also aimed at checking river erosion, he added.

Engineer Mohsin, however, said the poor people of the area will get supports from the project under a participatory approach and nothing would be done as charity. For every development components, he said, the poorer communities will have to pay five per cent of the total cost.