Jamuna River Sustainable Management Project 1

active

The proposed Project is the first major investment to be implemented under the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP2100) and is the first of a Series of Projects (SoP) to be implemented within the next 14 years. The Project invests US$144.2 million over 5.5 years (including IDA credit of US$102.0 million), combining investments in river structures, navigation channel development, disaster risk financing solutions, community engagement, and institutional strengthening for the first time in Bangladesh. Through this multisectoral approach, all four phases of disaster management—mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery—are supported to deal with flood and bank erosion. Total works will be limited only under Component 1, and the rest of the financing would be used for procurement of goods, O&M, and TA. Components may be implemented in different sections of the Jamuna River, within the 250 km stretch between Daikhowa and Aricha.(a) Component 1: Flood and riverbank erosion management. As part of the mitigation phase of disaster management, this component will invest in integrated green and grey infrastructure and institutions that oversee it. The proposed infrastructure and relevant works will help reduce the risk of riverbank erosion and flooding and protect the communities, by absorbing the energy of incoming water and controlling the river flow, with an added benefit of managing navigation channels. An innovative, cost-effective combination of natural systems and built solutions is expected to enhance system performance, increase climate resilience, augment carbon sequestration, displace GHG emissions, and better protect communities. The Project will form water management groups to promote participatory planning, decision making, and monitoring in the river management sector. Following the PWMR recommendation, they will be encouraged to use Labor Contracting Societies (LCS) to offer income generating opportunities. (b) Component 2: Navigation channel development. Investments in this component are fundamental steps toward establishing dynamic navigation channels of adequate depth that would accommodate large cargo vessels year-round. Given that climate change increases weather variability and may lead to longer dry seasons, developing and maintaining the inland waterways becomes even more critical. Once the navigation channels are developed and stabilized, a modal shift from road to waterway is expected to take place due to lowered IWT costs. This will mitigate climate change because compared to road transport, IWT’s GHG emission is lower and fuel efficiency is higher. The component is climate adaptive as well, because it helps improve the IWT sector’s capacity in preparedness and response to extreme weather events and set up climate-adaptive structures and systems.(c) Component 3: Financial protection of communities. As part of the preparedness and recovery phases in disaster management, this component is inherently climate change adaptive, offering financial protection to the communities soon after payout-eligible flood events occur. The arrangement will reduce the disaster-related financial burden of the target group, mostly smallholders who are one of the most vulnerable people along the Jamuna River. Relevant institutions will be strengthened as well. (d) Component 4: Project management. It will support the BWDB, the BIWTA, and IDRA’s Project Implementation Units (PIUs) for implementing the Project. (e) Component 5: Contingent emergency response component (CERC). A provisional zero amount component is included, which will allow for rapid reallocation of loan proceeds from other project components during an emergency, including climate events, under streamlined procurement and disbursement procedures. This component may also serve as a conduit for additional funds to be channeled to the project in such circumstances.