Wetlands in Bangladesh encompass a wide verity of dynamic ecosystems ranging from mangrove forest (about 577, 100 ha), natural lakes, man-made reservoir (Kaptai lake), freshwater marshes (about 400 haors), oxbow lakes (about 54488 ha, locally known as baors), freshwater depressions (about 1,000 beels), fish ponds and tanks (about 147, 000 ha), estuaries and seasonal inundated extensive floodplains (Akonda, 1989; cited in Akbar Ali Khan 1993 and DoF 1985).

1. WETLAND DEGRADATION IN
BANGLADESH
BY-
MD. INZAMUL HAQUE SAZAL
SUSHANTA GUPTA
JANNATUN NAYEM
sazal.edu@outlook.com

2. IDENTIFIED ENV. PROBLEM: WETLAND DEGRADATION IN BANGLADESH
Wetlands in Bangladesh encompass a wide verity of dynamic ecosystems
ranging from mangrove forest (about 577, 100 ha), natural lakes, man-
made reservoir (Kaptai lake), freshwater marshes (about 400 haors), oxbow
lakes (about 54488 ha, locally known as baors), freshwater depressions
(about 1,000 beels), fish ponds and tanks (about 147, 000 ha), estuaries
and seasonal inundated extensive floodplains (Akonda, 1989; cited in Akbar
Ali Khan 1993 and DoF 1985).
According to 'Ramsar' convention-
• More than two thirds of Bangladesh may be classified as wetland
• including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not
exceed six meters”).
• 6.7 percent of Bangladesh is always under
water.
• 21 percent is deeply flooded (more that 90
cm).
• 35 percent experiences shallow inundation.

3. Almost 45% of the national wetlands have been disappeared
o Ganges Brahmaputra-Meghna floodplain- 2.1million ha of wetlands
(Khan et al., 1994).
o Mangrove wetlands- around 45% wetland have been destroyed (Khan
et al., 1994) due to.-
-Anthropogenic influences on mangrove
-Shrimp culture.
o Dhaka city- Rivers and khals decreased significantly 76.67% and
18.72%respectively over the last 30 years.
o Chalan Beel-
-In the 19th century - 1,085 sq km
-In 1909- 368 sq km by, of which only 85 sq km remained under
water throughout the year.
-Present- Only 26 sq km.
o Northwest region-
- During 1989 to 2000 about 25% of wetlands have been lost.
- 2000 to 2010 about 4% wetlands are converted into other types of land.
WETLAND DEGRADATION SCENARIO

4. WETLAND DEGRADATION SCENARIO

5. WETLAND DEGRADATION SCENARIO

6. IMPACTS OF WETLAND DEGRADATION
• A serious reduction in fish habitat, fish population and diversity;
• Many species of flora and fauna are threatened with possibility of extinction;
• Indigenous varieties of rice are disappearing;
• Increase in the recurrence of flashfloods;
• Loss of natural soil nutrients;
• Loss of natural water reservoirs and of their resultant benefits; and
• Degeneration of wetland-based ecosystem,
• Living conditions of local people are deteriorating as livelihoods, socio-economic institutions and cultural
values are affected.

7.  FLOOD WATER RETENTION
 SURFACE AND GROUND WATER
RECHARGE
WETLAND ECOSYSTEM
STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES
HYDROLOGICAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL ECOLOGICAL
FUNCTIONS
 NUTRIENT RETENTION AND EXPORT
 SALINITY RETENTION IN SOIL AND
WATER
 NURSERY AND HABITAT
 BIODIVERSITY, LANDSCAPES AND
STRUCTURAL DIVERSITY
SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENIFITS
 Alternative flood protection
 Flood water storage reduce
damage to property and resources.
 Supporting food chains
 Water supply
 Transport of Sediments
 Delicate balance.
 Improve water quality
 Medicinal plants & genetic
 Waste disposal
 Irrigation purpose
 Industrial and succession
 Purification and cleaning up.
 Fish breeding
 Ecosystem maintenance
 Fishing and grazing
 Shrimp culture
 Crops, fodder and fuel
 Settlements places
 Cultural and Tradition
 Aesthetic Values
 Spiritual, heritage values
 Eco-tourism & recreation
 Employment of the poor.
IMPORTANCE OF
WETLAND
MANAGEMENT

8. According to the National Water Policy, 1999 the Ministry is responsible for formulation of a framework for institutional
reforms to guide all water sector related activities. But later
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
The national wetlands policy has been drafted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, but it still remains in the
preliminary stage and yet not implemented. The main features of this policy include the following:
# Maintenance of biodiversity and landscapes protection.
# Maintenance of ecosystems functions and ensuring socioeconomic benefits.
# Promotion of economical development and establishment of principles for sustainable resources utilization.

9. a) The Environment: More than 10 000ha of wetland habitat will be protected, conserved
or rehabilitated
b) The Community: Improved wetland habitat will result in more fish, birds, reptiles &
other wildlife, wetland areas will be available for education & aesthetics
c) Wetland Managers: Including CMAs, State & Local Government and others will be
provided with maps, classes and priorities, allowing them to make informed decisions
about the management of their wetlands
d) State, Local Government and the CMAs will be able to rationalize & focus investment
in wetland protection and condition improvement of identified priority wetlands
Probable Beneficiary Sectors

10. Probable Solution of Wetland Degradation
High rise buildings
Strict Law and Regulation
Hydroponics- Soil less
agriculture
Conceptual change of rice cultivation in rural scale
Formation of Buffer zone around major wetlands for
declaration of critical wetlands as protected areas.
Structural Solution
Effective negotiation with neighboring for withdrawal water
.
International actions for mitigating the impact of climate change
Proper Leasing Management of Wetland Resource
eutrophication abatement
Implication of Geospatial technology e.g. GIS,
RS for wetland monitoring and Management
.

11. SUSTAINABLE WETLAND MANAGEMENT- AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION

12. FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
A development work in any area starts based on an
Environment impact assessment (EIA) report. In this case
government authorities can play the most important role
because development activities occur in a geographic field
and only the government has rights to interfere this. So
government authorities will have to corruption free unless
no plan can be successfully implemented.
So the proposed solutions are largely dependent on the
government willingness. People willingness is also needed.
By considering this it is feasible and eases to implement of
for Bangladesh.
•Strengths: characteristics of the management plan that give it
an advantage over others.
•Weaknesses: characteristics that place the project at a
disadvantage relative to others
•Opportunities: elements that the project could exploit to its
advantage
•Threats: elements in the environment that could cause trouble
for the project