Rural Infrastructure Development Activities
 
Smale Scale Water Resources Schemes: 
Water resources is essential for the sustainable development of the project area.Tidal floods in the southern parts and monsoon floods in the northen parts threaten land utilization through erosion, siltation, salinity etc. These phenomenon affect agricultural production and water transport while natural resources are destroyed.Water resources also provide an adequately exploited potential for irrigation cropping intensities are well below the national average.The proposed water scheme will have a multipurpose nature:they aim at improving the agricultural production as well as the communication and trading networks.The specific objectives of the waterschemes are:   
1) to protect agricultural land against inundation;   
2) to improve drainage;   
3) to develop irrigation potentials;   
4) to improve nevigability of water ways;   
5) to protect trading centre against erosion;
 
The following investment activities are expected to be taken up in the project area:   
a) Re-excavation of khals:   
Water transport is very important in the project area not only on the rivers and larger water ways   
between polders,but also for transport over shorter distance, e.g. inside polders.   
 
Re-excavation of Khal
b)Drainage Culverts :   
In the past, the construction roads, especially rural roads, was usually done on adhoc basis,with no integrated planning.These roads do however, interfere with other sector needs,such as drainage, often resulting in drainage congestion. Investment in drainage culverts aims at improving  the drainage of agricultural lands,while a number of culverts may also serve to allow irrigation channels crossing a road.   

c)Irrigation sluice and outlets:   
Irrigation can lead to a considerable increase in production by increaseing the cropping    
intensity and the yield per ha.
 
Tree Plantation:   
Tree Plantation has been recognized as an important activity under rural development for the purpose of establishing shoulders, side slopes and preventing erosion of roads and embankment, contributing towards ecological balance in theenvironment, providing employment to the rural poor.		   
 
Tree Plantation
The model of tree plantation will be Strip Plantation.The trees are to be planted in 2 to 3 rows depending on the availability of land in both side of the road.A row of pigeon pea (local name-arhar) are to be sown at the end of the crest before starting tree plantation.The row of the seedings will be below of it.In first row the species are to be selected from the trees which give timber and good fruits.
 
In the next row fuel wood and other small trees should be planted.In the first row plant to plant distance(timber tree) will be 5.4 meter and in between quick growing trees should be planted in an interval of 1.8 metre.The second row will follow 1.8 metre distance from plant to plant, the seedings will be from fuel and pole wood trees.The road will cover 2 rows in each side. The 1st row will cover by Jackfruit tree, Black Berry tree, Teak, Mahogony, Karai, South Indian Red Wood (local name - Sisu), Casuarina(local name-Jhao),Eucalyptus,Lpil-Lpil and the second row by Casuarina, Acacia, Akashmoni and Shiris.Eucalyptus and lpil-lpil may be planted in the second row if there is no possibility of inundation as these species cannot stand water logging.Arhar (Pigeon-pea) will act as a natural fence and shall protect the tree plants from damage by cows and goats.As an additional benefit pulses can be harvested from the Arhar plant at the end of the first year.Besides the plant can be used as fuel wood.In the following year the ratoon crops can be used as fuel too.As a leguminous plant Arhar fixes nitrogen in the soil which increases soil fertility.Date tree can be planted in road and embankment in the first row between two plants.Date tree needs less care. After 8-10 years of plantation juice and fruit can be harvested.  

Caretaking of trees:   
Caretaking of trees should be carried out by destitute women of the same locality for 2 years.Each woman will be assigned a length of 500m road/embankment for caretaking of trees(as per attachment-8) and routine maintenance of road/embankment.The caretaker will get Tk.37.00 per day and the harvest of pigeon pea/sesbania.Payment to the caretaker will be made on the analogy of ERM(Earth Road Maintenance) labours.Proper attention should be given by the caretaker so that cows/goats/buffaloes or other animals can not destroy/damage the seedings. If the plants are destroyed due to negligence of the caretaker then she may be replaced.
 
 
 
 
 

Last Updated: December 1,1999
By MIS Cell