Tracking Delta Investment in Bangladesh: The 8th Five Year Plan

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Tracking Delta Investment in Bangladesh: The First Step Through the Eighth Five Year Plan

The Government of Bangladesh published the Eighth Five Year Plan (8FYP) in December 2020 and formulated strategic directions for the period running from 2021-2025.

The 8FYP provides essential guidance on initiating the implementation of the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP 2100), from 2021 onwards.

The vision of the government, towards building a climate-resilient delta, is well-reflected in this 8FYP.

The present article reflects how the 8FYP addresses investment in the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) sector, and makes an attempt to track delta development progress.

Climate change is a serious threat to the investment plan and sustainability of the delta.

Delta management in Bangladesh is water-centric; this is why almost all sectors in the country are somehow linked with the water sector in the context of IWRM.

The 8FYP allocates an investment of US$ 21.7 billion in 2021 for 47 new projects. The line ministries or sectors assigned for implementation of these projects are: the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Local Government Division (LGD), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

More than 50 percent of the total investment plan of the 8FYP is allocated to MoWR, as it is the lead ministry to deal with water resources.

Agriculture, which includes subsectors of fisheries and livestock, is the governing sector in IWRM in Bangladesh.

This sector accounts for more than 87 percent of total freshwater withdrawal in the country according to the World Bank.

MoWR provides essential implementation support to this sector. In the 8FYP, the Annual Development Plan (ADP) allocation for MoWR varies within a range of 65-79 percent of total investment in each fiscal year. Thus, the role and responsibilities of MoWR in resource development for the agriculture sector as well as in delta development is substantially significant.

Climate change, on the other hand, is a serious threat to the investment plan and sustainability of the delta here.

According to Germanwatch, Bangladesh ranks 13th and 7th in the Climate Risk Index (CRI) in 2000 and 2019 respectively.

It is evident from the CRIs that Bangladesh has been one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the last two decades, and will remain so in future. As is the case in other national plans, the investments planned and made in the 8FYP will take a considerable toll on climate change.

Considering the investment plans outlined in the 8FYP, inputs to the agriculture sector, and the adverse impact of climate change, there is likely to be a substantial challenge to keep the current rate of development growth and meet the goals of the BDP 2100.

To equip the government with adequate capacities for investment tracking and performance evaluation, the 6FYP first introduced the concept of Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBM&E) and suggested its implementation across the ministries and different sectors.

The traditional system of monitoring physical and financial progresses of projects will no longer support the government to measure the effectiveness of any plan or implementation effort.

The 8FYP provides a strong commitment to introducing and implementing the RBM&E system across different sectors, and for all programs and sub-programs which will be implemented under the BDP 2100.

The 8FYP proposes a list of 104 indicators which are distributed among 15 top-priority areas at national and sectoral levels.

Development goals of these indicators are aligned with the SDGs and the national Perspective Plan 2021-2041 (PP 2041) in addition to the BDP 2100.

Guava farmers trading at a floating guava market in Bhimruli, Jhalokhati, Bangladesh (Photo by: Insight-Photography/Shutterstock.com).

As the General Economic Division (GED) under the Bangladesh Planning Commission (BPC) is the responsible agency for the M&E of mid- and long-term plans like the BDP 2100, the institutional setup Delta Wing has been placed at GED, and includes other appropriate stakeholders.

According to the 8FYP, the capacity-building actions for Delta Wing include, but are not limited to the following:

● Establish a Delta Fund at GED to support financing for the delta programs

● Improve current O&M practices for the ministries involved in implementation of the delta plan programs

● Strengthen implementation capacities of the line agencies such as BWDB, WARPO and MoWR

● Establish a decentralized water management system by connecting and integrating local water management bodies

● Establish a solid foundation for the delta knowledge bank

● Develop an RBM&E system for monitoring and performance evaluation

The Delta Knowledge Bank and the M&E system are integral to the accomplishment of the specific goals of BDP 2100.

The 8FYP recommends a multi-stakeholder consultative approach for the design of a delta plan level M&E system, with technical inputs from different knowledge partners in the country in the area of IWRM.

Additionally, the plan sets a target for preparing a draft M&E proposal by the end of the first 18 months of the 8FYP, implementing the M&E system within the next 30 months, and preparing the first M&E report for approval by the government by the beginning of the 5th year of the plan.

The Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Asia (CARE for South Asia) project plans to contribute to the development of the intended M&E system for the BDP 2100 by providing essential technical assistance to the GED and other nominated stakeholders, and by following the targets set forth in the 8FYP.

It is expected that with the delta level M&E in place, the 8FYP will have a solid foundation for performance monitoring and evaluation to support maximum utilization of the investments made, and be able to bring about a transformational change in the delta management capacity of the government.

NB: All figures mentioned in this article, except otherwise explicitly referenced, are taken from the 8FYP document.

The writer is Water Resources Management Specialist in Bangladesh at ADPC and can be reached at: adil.foisal@adpc.net

About Post Author

Saravanakuma Ramalingam

saravana@abu.org.my

http://abu.org.my

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Tracking Delta Investment in Bangladesh: The 8th Five Year Plan

Saravanakuma Ramalingam

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