Title

Machine Learning-Driven Engineering Approaches for Sustainable Irrigation Water Management in the Southwest Coastal Region of Bangladesh

Funding Agency

ATF-HEAT project under the University Grant Commission

Duration

27 August 2025- 26 Feb 2028

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Ahmed Ishtiaque Amin Chowdhury

Prof. Mashfiqus Salehin

Partner Institute

University of Dhaka

Short Description

This sub-project aims to provide a decision support tool to enhance freshwater irrigation supply in saline-prone coastal Bangladesh by addressing three key objectives: (1) developing a predictive machine model to quantify the spatial distribution of salinity values at a 2x2 km grid resolution, (2) characterising the impact of irrigation water salinity on crop yield across 19 coastal districts, and (3) recommending potential locations for implementing Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) types to enhance crop yield. For Objective 1, activities include curating hydrogeochemistry data, modelling lithology using GMS software, conducting electric resistivity surveys, measuring topsoil salinity, and building a machine learning model for salinity prediction. For Objective 2, high-resolution telemetry devices will be installed to monitor rainfall, water levels, and groundwater salinity. Manual salinity data on surface waterbodies, irrigation abstraction, and drone-assisted crop yield mapping will complement this analysis. For Objective 3, quantified recharge extent and stakeholder-validated feature importance will aid in developing a decision support tool for MAR selection.The project will deliver a website-based interactive salinity map with predictive capabilities for 2x2 km grids, crop yield linked to water source availability and irrigation timing, and a policy guideline for selecting suitable MAR-type(s).

Title

Enhancing Climate-Resilient Groundwater Supply and Food Security Using Aquifer Storage and Recovery Technique (ECASRT)

Funding Agency

TWAS and Elsevier Foundation

Duration

2023 – 2026 (3 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Partner Institute

Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC)

Short Description

Among several promising strategies to arrest declining water tables, underground storing via aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) presents some intriguing possibilities to defuse irrigation tensions in many parts of Bangladesh. The study will attempt to systematically assess the potential of multiple ASR wells in augmenting GW recharge along with improved quality of water, sufficient for subsequent irrigation abstraction in the dry season. Specific objectives are: (1) enhance operational capabilities of ASR against chronic clogging; (2) reduce vulnerability of coastal aquifer via using multiple ASR wells in diluting saline concentration to a tolerable limit for crop production; and (3) training farmers, including women, to maintain ASR wells for resilient water management. Mineralogical and hydrogeochemical aspects of ASR will be examined in detail. The proposed study expects to improve the technical capability of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (in collaboration) as well as community women to spearhead ASR adoption and application.

Title

Field Based Applied Research on “Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)” technology for increasing cropping intensity of Bangladesh

Funding Agency

Krishi Gobeshona Foundation (KGF)

Duration

13 December 2020 – 12 March 2024 (3.25 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Prof. Mashfiqus Salehin

Partner Institute

Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC)

Short Description

Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) is a concept of artificial recharge and recently been promoted by Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100. India has many success stories of implementing ASR for increasing cropping intensity by (a) removal of waterlogging, and (b) supplying irrigation cum domestic water. However, no field-based application has yet been attempted in Bangladesh for agricultural purposes. With this aim to increase cropping intensity of Bangladesh, bore well aquifer type ASR is expected to be useful, innovative water management solution for farmers facing drought, water-logged and salinity situations. ASR gets their land free from water logging in peak monsoon and during post-monsoon period allows farmers to access best quality irrigation water at their farming land. ASR is an added benefit along with salinity solution for the coastal region. Thereby, first, the study will explore the opportunity of using ASR set-up in the saline prone coastal area namely, Dacope. Second, it will assess the possibility of using existing STW structures in both recharging and irrigation pumping for the North region (i.e., Nator, Rajshahi, and Tangail) to the current experimental set-up of ASR.

Title

Aggravating Situation of Coastal Community Life in The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta During Post-Amphan and COVID – 19 Times

Funding Agency

UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Hub’s Rapid Response

Duration

June 2021 – March 2022 (9 months)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Partner Institutes

Department of Social Services, Ministry of Social Welfare, GoB.

Short Description

The proposed research will measure the impact of COVID-19 and Cyclone Amphan on different livelihood groups and associated aggravation of risks on them. It will further compare aggravated risks at household level between men and women. The present study aims to assess the current status of vulnerable coastal communities, particularly, the local livelihood groups of the Southwest region of Bangladesh and compute how uninsurable damages aggravate livelihood risks among poor households. To be specific, this research will address the following research questions:

a.          What risks are arising in peoples’ livelihood?

b.          How aggravating risks are affecting families at household levels?

c.          Is there any difference in aggravating risks between men and women?

The proposed project will pursue its aim by attaining the following specific objectives:

i.           Assess the impacts on different livelihood groups during post-cyclone-Amphan periods and ongoing COVID – 19 outbreaks.

ii.          Evaluate the aggravation risks of different livelihood groups including gender in a distal delta.

Finally, this research will provide policy recommendations required to response in assisting the vulnerable families in crisis and improving their livelihoods thereby.

Title

To enable data collection and contribution to a comparative article on living polder strategies in deltas

Funding Agency

Utrecht University Pathways to Sustainability program: Seed Money Project 2019

Duration

September 2019 – December 2021 (1.3 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Short Description

Key motivation to set up this project is the apparent global interest in hybrid polder management strategies and (temporary) restoration of flood dynamics on delta lands, summarized here as ‘living polder strategies’. The research questions that we seek to answer include:

1.      To what extent are the intended benefits of the living polder strategy achieved?

2.      What specific physical conditions (geography, flood dynamics, river discharge, sediment load) apply to the living polder strategy in question, and to what extent have these helped or hindered the performance of the strategy?

3.     What are specific institutional conditions (institutions, governance modes, societal engagement) that apply to the living polder strategy in question, and to what extent have these helped or hindered the performance of the strategy?

Title

Diagnosing Water security in hard to reach mountainous areas with an environmental security framework

Funding Agency

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

Duration

August 2018 - November 2019 (1.5 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Dr. Ishtiaque Amin Chowdhury

Ms. Binata Roy

Collaboration

Sikkim University, India

Short Description

Water security problems in mountainous areas are often systemic and rooted in an approach to water security by the local government that gives little consideration to spring-based water management system. Therefore, to avert impending crises of water much progress has been made, in particular, in India and Nepal through Spring-shed management (e.g., Dhara Vikas). In contrast, Bangladesh Government has never been officially exposed to such ideas although has already built several structural interventions addressing the need of using spring water for upland communities. There is a need in Bangladesh to tackle these projects using science and traditional knowledge leading to resource-based spring-shed management approach. Hence, the overall objective of the project is to generate and disseminate knowledge on water security in hard to reach mountainous areas with an environmental security framework. The specific objectives are: i. Developing an environmental security framework for diagnosing the community water security using four interrelated concepts that are availability, access, utility, and stability of water resources. ii. Develop conceptual basis of recharge process at local scale and find out best short term and long term measures for the sustainable water security in the study area based on site observations, hydrogeological parameter analysis and participatory social science research. iii. Knowledge and experience sharing of the local scale concept/learning with Sikkim, India and beyond explicitly accounting water security issues of upland community.

Title

Study on abstraction-induced recharge as an adaptation response to climate variation for shallow aquifer in Bangladesh

Funding Agency

International Foundation for Science (IFS)

Duration

October 2018 - April 2021 (2.5 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Short Description

The importance of groundwater is expected to heighten in future under the need to offset the substantial ill effects of climate change. The adaptive capacity is important because, while more frequent and intense variability of rainfall will rapidly enhance the risk of significant reduction in the volume of reliable surface water resources, aquifers are likely to be affected much more slowly by the projected climate change. On the other hand, population increase, irrigation demand and climate change in combination will continue to increase the stress on the groundwater resource in the future. Against this backdrop, a PhD study by Nowreen, 2017 proposes piloting abstraction-induced recharge concept (AI-R) as an adaptation option for some probable locations in Bangladesh to meet the un-met water challenges in future. The underlying and implicit assumption of the AI-R concept is that the underground store can be rapidly filled in during the wet season and used up during in the following dry season. But A-IR concept does not have the potential to be applied at the large basin scale in whole Bangladesh but probable locations are already identified at the farm scales by the PhD study of Nowreen, 2017. However, given the concerns over the mobilisation of natural occurring arsenic due to heavy abstraction through pumping, continuing use/increase of irrigation water should be carefully monitored and managed.  One of the most challenging aspects of reviving the A-IR is to maintain the required flows during the low-flow period. This is particularly true, because many stretches of the river already have an unacceptable level of low flows in the dry season.  Therefore, implementation of AI-R would require testing in pilot projects within limited areas. The aquifer condition, response to rainfall events etc. are at least needed to be observed on potential sites where piloting can be attempted.

Title

Development of IoT enabled data logger to monitor groundwater and analysis of the collected data

Funding Agency

ICT Division, GoB Bangladesh

Duration

December 2019 – December 2021 (2 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Partner Department

CSE, BUET

Short Description

We aim to innovate a complete system, comprising necessary hardware, firmware and software, for monitoring groundwater as well as other environmental parameters through research and development. While designing the hardware, we will maximize the use of locally available components and locally develop all the required software and firmware. We will design the system with special attention to the climate and geography of Bangladesh. This project will ensure the best utilization of our groundwater by allowing the government to accomplish activities like identification of existing or potential changes of water level due to groundwater withdrawal and assessment of the effects of climate on groundwater level fluctuation.

Title

Towards sustainable urban water management in Hindukush Himalayan (HKH) Region: a participatory approach to improving water security in mountain cities”

Funding Agency

Asia-Pacific Network (APN) for Global Change Research

Duration

October 2021- September 2023 (2 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Partner Institutes

·        Tribhuvan University, Nepal and

·        TERI School of Advanced Studies, India

Short Description

Achieving urban water security, particularly in mountainous regions of Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), is a major challenge for sustainable development. Water security problems here in HKH are often systemic but governed by diverse factors with complex interactions among each other. Hence, this study attempts to examine the complex linkages between water security and urban management at a local level of two countries, namely Nepal and Bangladesh learning from the experience of India. The systematic study will (1) identify underlying geographical, climatic, institutional and socio-economic vulnerabilities, (2) assess their impacts on urban mountain communities, and (3) document current and potential adaptation mechanisms to strengthen water security. Unlike indicators-based water security framework, this study will consider perception-based measures applying a mix of participatory research methods namely in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. To collate and analyse data tools like problem and solution tree, seasonal calendars and participatory GIS will be seamlessly integrated into the study. The major outcomes expected from the study include an issue brief that will help in developing framework guidelines for policymakers to engage with local water users for greater collective resource management. The study will also facilitate the sharing of knowledge by exchange visits and train young researchers on linking science with policy through participatory research.

Title

Designing Flash Flood Early Warning System (FFEWS) Sub-component for Haor Region of North-eastern Bangladesh under Climate Adaptation and Livelihood Protection (CALIP)

Funding Agency

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and implemented by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)

Duration

May 2015 – June 2019 (4 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Prof. A.K.M. Saiful Islam 
Prof. G.M. Tarekul Islam
Prof. Mashfiqus Salehin
Prof. Sujit Kumar Bala and
Prof. M. Shahjahan Mondal

Dr. Sara Nowreen

Ms. Shammi Haque

Mr. Partho Das

Ms. Binota Roy

Partner Institutes

·        Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC) of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)

·        Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD)

·        Institute of Water modeling (IWM)

Short Description

The Climate Adaptation and Livelihood Protection (CALIP) is a supplementary project integrated with IFAD's Haor Infrastructure and Livelihoods Improvement Project (HILIP) launched in 2012.The CALIP project will work in the same project areas as HILIP in the five Haor districts of Netrakona, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj and Sunamganj in 28 Upazilas selected on the basis of their exposure to climate risks and poverty context. These include 4 Upazilas in Netrakona, 4 Upazilas in Kishoreganj, 6 Upazilas in Brahmanbaria, 3 Upazilas in Habiganj and 11 Upazilas in Sunamganj. The objective of the HILIP/CALIP project is to enhance livelihood opportunities and reduce vulnerability of the poor. The main outcomes expected from the HILIP/CALIP project include: (i) enhanced access to markets, livelihood opportunities and social services; (ii) enhanced village mobility, reduction in production losses and protection against extreme weather events; (iii) enhanced access to fishery resources and conservation of biodiversity; (iv) enhanced production, diversification and marketing of crop and livestock produce; (v) efficient, cost effective and equitable use of project resources; and vi) enhanced capacity and knowledge for building resilience (new outcome introduced by CALIP).

Title

Assessment of River Water Availability in Bangladesh for Off-stream Uses

Funding Agency

International Foundation for Science (IFS)

Duration

October 2015 - December 2017 (~2.5 years)

Researcher from IWFM

Ms. Sara Nowreen

Short Description

The main objective of the study is to assess the in-stream flow requirement of main and regional rivers of the North-West of Bangladesh. For effective water management, this research project generated maps on current flow variability and trend. The desired level of natural flow of the rivers was evaluated through three methods of hydrological approaches viz., (i) Tennant or Mean Annual Flow method (ii) Flow Duration Curve method and (iii) Constant Yield method. Additionally, Nowreen S also applied the Range of Variability Approach to determine the ecological flow threshold with the help of IHA (Indicators of Hydrologic Alternation) software. It is expected to be a useful reference containing descriptions and evaluations of quantitative instream flow in the context of low land rivers, such as in Bangladesh. Findings of this study are expected to provide a guideline to the organizations involved in planning for water management (i.e., WARPO), river regulation and maintenance (e.g., BWDB), negotiation with upper riparian country (such as JRC) and supporting water sector activities (like IWM and CEGIS). The overall assessment of the dry season water availability will further help in predicting future availability for off-stream uses.