Increasing Crop Intensity introducing Agri-ASR in the south-west coastal region of Khulna, where both surface and ground water has salinity.
Bangladesh has already become vulnerable to many gradual change phenomena of climate change as well as climate change related extreme events. It has been predicted that climate change in future will bring more changes in temperature, characteristics of rainfall and natural hazards which will have significant implication on physical, social and economic systems. It is also predicted that for 45 cm rise of sea level may inundate 10-15% of the land by the year 2050 resulting over 35 million climate refugees from the coastal districts.
As an impact of climate change salinity has aggravated the coastal zone and adverse impact on livings and livelihood of the people are being felt. Coastal region of south-west coastal region has been experiencing salinity in both surface and groundwater. Due to scarcity of fresh agricultural water Boro cultivation has come to a lower extent, only one crop is produced (Aman rice). The cropping intensity of the location is only 133%, which is much lower than country’s average cropping intensity (193%). It is evident that scarcity of fresh water has impacted on drinking water and at the same time for agricultural activities.
Bangladesh government is committed to achieve SDG–2 i.e end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. And also to addressing SDG -13 that is taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.”
To meet the demand of fresh water for agriculture, we have constructed low cost Agri-ASR in the south-west coastal region of Khulna. Significance of Agri-ASR is that the system will give fresh water from a saline aquifer during dry season for Boro cultivation. By the Agri-ASR, excess fresh water stagnant in the field gets filtered, and then flows down to natural aquifers deep below the soil where it can stay until it is needed during the dry seasons. One Agri-ASR can recharge about 20.0 -40.0 lac litre of water in 4-5 months long monsoon period which is sufficient to supply fresh water for cultivating 10-15 acrs of land as same as a STW.
Agri-ASR: A technology that can provide fresh water for Boro cultivation.
Agri-ASR is an efficient rain water recharge technology. It requires a surface space of only 1 square meter and takes care of about 20.00- 40.00 lac litres of fresh water each year. This is well enough to give fresh water to irrigate 10-15 acr. Of land with a single Agri-ASR.
In areas with high salinity in underground, ASR work efficiently.
During monsoon, the excess water gets filtered, and then flows down to natural aquifers deep below the soil where it can stay until it is needed during the dry seasons.
It would be used for agricultural farming during dry season.
Its environment friendly , no adverse imapct on environment is evident.
How Agri-ASR does work ?
- ASR works on filtered injection method
- A filtered water injection system, injects excess/stagnant fresh water from field to underground.
- Creates water lenses /water bubble due to density variation between recharged surface and sub-surface layers
- Retains “injected excess fresh water” within subsoil.
- Allows lifting of the “stored water” for irrigation at lean/dry season.
- Once erected self-system with minimum life 20 -25 years without much expenditure on operation & maintenance.
