The project “Water for Food in the Coastal Areas of Sundarban-India and Bangladesh” is an initiative by FADV to address the economic and social vulnerability of people residing at the coastal areas of Sundarban. The project is implemented in two locations in Indian part of Sundarban (Gosaba and Hingalganj) and one location in Bangladesh (Khulna). There are three implementing partners- Andrewspalli Centre for Integrated Development for Hingalganj, Rajarhat Prasari for Gosaba, in India and Dalit for Khulna in Bangladesh. After the cyclone ‘Aila’, in 2009, saline water gushed in through breaches in the river dykes and inundated houses and agricultural fields, collapsing more than 500 kms of river embankments. In most of the coastal regions, the household grain storages that provide year-round food supply for the entire family have got washed away along with the house, resulting in acute food crisis for the ensuing year. Inundation of land by saline water has practically made agriculture impossible in at least the next three years. Hence, people started searching for alternative sources of income to maintain their livelihood. Many of them were forced to migrate to other regions, leaving their families behind.
Under this background, the project was designed by FADV to:
- Increase capability of water management
- Increase agricultural production
- Introduce alternative livelihood opportunities different from agriculture
BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT
INDIA: The beneficiaries of the project in India, in the districts of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas are 1,420, i.e. 330 women, 250 men and 840 children. Most of the beneficiaries belong to the scheduled castes (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST).
BANGLADESH: The beneficiaries of the project in Bangladesh, in the district of Satkhira, are 1270, i.e. 100 women, 300 men and 870 children