Char Developmemt and Settlement Project (CDSP)
Char Development and Settlement Project (CDSP) in coastal Bangladesh:
The Plan: Integrated Community-Based Adaptation in the Chars (River Islands) of Coastal Bangladesh
Location: Vulnerable river islands (chars) in the Noakhali and Chittagong regions, highly exposed to cyclones, storm surges, salinity intrusion, and erosion.
Key Implementers: Government of Bangladesh (Land Ministry), Government of the Netherlands, NGOs (e.g., BRAC, CARE), and crucially, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) formed by the char dwellers themselves.
Core Strategies:
Physical Protection: Building and maintaining community-managed earthen embankments (polders) with sluice gates to control tidal flooding and salinity.
Water Management: Excavating community ponds for rainwater harvesting (freshwater source), installing deep tube wells, and creating managed irrigation canals.
Livelihood Diversification: Introducing and promoting saline-tolerant rice varieties (e.g., BRRI dhan 47, 67), crab fattening, salt-tolerant vegetable gardening, homestead gardening, and small livestock rearing.
Afforestation & Bio-Shields: Establishing mangrove plantations (e.g., Keora, Baen) along embankments and coastlines to act as natural storm barriers and reduce erosion.
Land Tenure Security: Assisting landless families in gaining formal land titles (khas land settlement) on newly accreted or stabilized chars, providing long-term security and incentive to invest.
Capacity Building & Institution Strengthening: Forming and training Water Management Groups (WMGs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) to manage infrastructure, resolve conflicts, and lead adaptation efforts.
Reflection on Success Factors:
Represents Community Values:
Deep Participation: From the outset, communities were involved in problem identification, planning (through Participatory Rural Appraisals - PRAs), implementation (e.g., labor for embankments), and management (via WMGs/CDCs). Decisions were made locally.
Land Ownership: Addressing the fundamental value of land security through khas land settlement was transformative, giving people a permanent stake in their future.
Respect for Local Knowledge: Traditional practices (like certain indigenous saline-tolerant crops) were integrated with new technologies. WMG members, often respected elders or farmers, brought local understanding of water flow and soil conditions.
Addresses Challenges:
Multi-Pronged Approach: It tackled the interconnected challenges simultaneously: physical protection (embankments), water scarcity/salinity (ponds, wells, canals), food insecurity (new crops, gardens), income loss (diversified livelihoods), and landlessness (settlement).
Appropriate Technology: Solutions like earthen embankments, community ponds, and saline-tolerant seeds were affordable, maintainable locally, and suited the environment.
Scalability & Phasing: The project was implemented in phases over decades (CDSP I-V), allowing learning and adaptation, and demonstrating success that could be scaled to other chars.
Adequately Assesses Vulnerability:
Holistic Assessment: PRAs and surveys went beyond just physical exposure. They assessed social vulnerability (landlessness, poverty, gender disparities), economic vulnerability (dependence on single, climate-sensitive crops), and institutional vulnerability (lack of local management capacity).
Gender Focus: Recognized women's heightened vulnerability (e.g., responsibility for water/fuel collection, limited mobility, less land ownership) and actively included them in WMGs/CDCs, training, and livelihood programs (e.g., homestead gardening, poultry).
Demonstrates Conflict Resolution:
WMG Governance: WMGs, democratically elected by water users, became the primary forum for resolving conflicts over water allocation (especially during dry periods), embankment maintenance responsibilities, and land boundary issues arising from accretion.
Transparent Rules: Clear, community-agreed bylaws for water sharing, infrastructure upkeep, and resource use provided a framework for resolving disputes fairly.
Local Leadership: Respected WMG leaders often mediated disputes effectively before they escalated, leveraging social capital and local norms.
Meets Community’s Expectations and Needs:
Tangible Results: Communities saw immediate benefits: reduced flooding/salinity damage, access to freshwater, increased crop yields, new income sources, and secure land titles. This directly addressed their most pressing needs: safety, food, water, income, and stability.
Empowerment: The project fostered a strong sense of ownership and agency. Communities weren't just beneficiaries; they were managers and decision-makers, meeting the deep-seated need for self-determination.
Resilience Focus: It moved beyond disaster relief to building long-term capacity to live with and adapt to changing conditions, aligning with the community's desire for a sustainable future.
Contributes to the Community’s Adaptive Capacity:
Enhanced Skills & Knowledge: Training in new agricultural techniques, water management, disaster preparedness, and financial literacy built human capital.
Strengthened Institutions: WMGs and CDCs became durable local institutions capable of planning, managing resources, responding to crises, and advocating for the community – key social capital for adaptation.
Improved Physical Assets: Protected land, freshwater sources, diversified livelihoods (crabs, vegetables, livestock), and bio-shields provided a stronger asset base to absorb shocks.
Increased Economic Flexibility: Diversified income sources reduced dependence on single, climate-vulnerable activities like traditional rice farming.
Social Cohesion: Collaborative work on embankments, ponds, and conflict resolution strengthened community bonds, essential for collective action during future challenges.
Why it's a Benchmark:
The CDSP exemplifies how successful adaptation must be rooted in the community. It wasn't a top-down blueprint but a collaborative process that respected local values, addressed multi-dimensional vulnerabilities through integrated solutions, built robust local institutions for management and conflict resolution, delivered tangible benefits meeting core needs, and fundamentally enhanced the community's inherent ability to adapt to ongoing and future climate risks. Its multi-decade success demonstrates the sustainability achievable through genuine community ownership and empowerment