Bangladesh is host to the largest delta in the world. Although the Bangladesh Delta presents many advantages, it also poses a several developmental challenges. Owing to the deltaic formation of the country, the configuration of the rivers and climate change, Bangladesh has been ranked as the 6th most vulnerable country in the world in terms of risks from natural hazards. To address these natural as well as climatic challenges, the government of Bangladesh formulated the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (BDP 2100). On the occasion of the World Water Day which was marked on 22 March 2024, Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina said that the BDP 2100 was formulated to build a delta tolerant to climate change impacts.
Bangladesh is the first country in the world to develop such a comprehensive long-term plan for its entire delta. The Government of Bangladesh plans to spend 2.5% of GDP for delta-related interventions, through new investments and maintenance of already realized projects. BDP 2100 is envisioned as a long-term integrated and holistic plan that takes a long-term view on water resource management, climate change and environmental challenges to support long-term development of Bangladesh. The vision of the BDP 2100 is to “ensure long – term water and food security, economic growth and environmental sustainability while effectively reducing vulnerability to natural disasters and building resilience to climate change and other delta challenges through robust, adaptive and integrated strategies, and equitable water governance”.
BDP 2100 has three higher level goals and six specific goals. The three higher level goals are: eliminate extreme poverty by 2030; achieve upper middle-income status by 2030; and become a prosperous country beyond 2041. The specific goals of BDP 2100 are: ensuring safety from floods and climate change related disasters; enhance water security and efficiency of water usages; ensuring sustainable and integrated river systems and estuaries management; conserving and preserving wetlands and ecosystems and promoting their wise use; developing effective institutions and equitable governance for in-country and trans-boundary water resources management; and achieving optimal and integrated use of land and water resources.
Agriculture and rural development are two of the key priorities of BDP 2100. The plan intends to boost the country’s agricultural productivity by improving infrastructure, increasing access to financing and market information, and promoting sustainable agricultural methods. The plan also proposes developing rural areas by building roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. This will help rural communities better their livelihoods and reduce poverty in the countryside.
BDP 2100 identifies six hotspots for implementation which are: Coastal Zone (27,738 sq. km); Barind and Drought Prone Areas (22,848 sq. km); Haor and Flash Flood Areas (16,574 sq. km); Chattogram Hill Tracts (13,295sq. km); River System and Estuaries (35,204 sq. km); and Urban Areas (19,823 sq. km). Of these six hotspots, the coastal zone is the major one covering 19 districts.
The ‘Support to Implementation of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 (SIBDP 2100)’ project began in October 2018 with an aim to facilitate the implementation of BDP 2100 through building human capacity, institutional strengthening, mainstreaming and validating investment plans, as well as reviewing and updating of BDP 2100 with new knowledge and tools, as necessary. SIBDP 2100 is a project of the General Economics Division (GED) of the Bangladesh Planning Commission funded by the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the Government of the Netherlands. As one of the institutional developments undertaken by SIBDP 2100, the Delta Governance Council chaired by the Bangladesh Prime Minister was established on the 1st of July 2020. SIBDP 2100 is also supporting GED to set up the Delta Wing for multi-sectoral coordination and establish a Delta Fund within the GED. The Knowledge Portal, Climate Atlas, Dedicated Website and a Digital Library have already been developed under the supervision of this project.
The World Bank has also supported BDP 2100 through the development of Bangladesh Water Platform. This Platform has facilitated coordination between stakeholders and supported analytics that provided an important evidence base to inform government policies and projects.
BDP 2100 has the potential of bringing several benefits to the country. If the Delta Plan is successfully implemented, there are remarkable opportunities to eliminate extreme poverty, create more jobs, maintain GDP growth above 8% until 2041, expand trade and navigational opportunities, and strengthen food security.
