Dhaka: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing fresh assistance of $ 45 million to expand a water resource project in Bangladesh’s southwest region where agriculture production has seen a sharp rise benefiting over 191,000 people, including landless farmers and women.

ADB is providing a $45 million loan and the government of the Netherlands is expected to provide a grant of $7 million, to be administered by the ADB, to widen the scope of the Southwest Area Integrated Water Resource Planning and Management Project, said a press release.

ADB provided $20 million, while the government of the Netherlands $12.5 million for the original project, which was approved in 2005 and has renovated dilapidated infrastructures and established water management organisations with a wide community participation.

‘We’ve seen considerable benefits in the project pilot areas of Narail and Chenchuri Beel already, with rice production nearly doubling and fish production rising 30 percent,’ said Natsuko Totsuka, Senior Resources Specialist in ADB’s South Asia Department.

‘This new financing will allow us to replicate the success of the project across nine nearby areas, covering 84,000 hectares, and with a population of nearly 470,000,’ he added.

In each of the new subproject areas, support will be given to enroll farmers into water management organisations to help them to better operate and maintain the water infrastructure, and develop integrated water management plans.

Sustainable water resource management is crucial for economic livelihoods and poverty reduction in Bangladesh, where more than 80 percent of poor people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture or fisheries for their livelihoods.

The expanded project is expected to be completed in June 2022.