Evaluation of the Livelihood component of

Tanguar Haor Project

Submitted By: Tashnuva Sumaiya Islam

ID: 17162009

Course: DEV506 (Monitoring and Evaluation)

Faculty: Dr. Niaz Ahmed

21 August 2017
1 Table of Contents

1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3

2 Purpose of this plan ......................................................................................................... 4

2.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................ 4

2.2 Evaluation Questions and Indicators ............................................................................ 5

2.2.1 Indicator 1 ............................................................................................................ 5

2.2.2 Indicator 2 ............................................................................................................ 6

2.2.3 Indicator 3 ............................................................................................................ 7

3 Data Collection................................................................................................................ 8

3.1 Sources of Information............................................................................................... 9

4 Analysis and Interpretation ............................................................................................. 9

5 Deliverables/Products .................................................................................................... 11

6 Works Cited .................................................................................................................. 11

Appendix ............................................................................................................................. 13

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1 Introduction

Tanguar Haor, located in the Sunamganj district of Sylhet, is an international tourist

attraction. It is leading freshwater wetland of Bangladesh and with 9,727 hectares of land, it

is home to around 60,000 inhabitants (IUCN, 2016). Due to its freshwater, there are over 200

species of plants, 100 species of migratory birds and over 140 species of fish. Undoubtedly, it

is a rich source of resources for those living around it. It is a crucial source of fish production;

in between 1999 and 2000, the government earned 7,073,184 taka from the fisheries at the

wetlands (Feature Desk, 2017). However, the over exploitation of the resources are inevitably

affecting the livelihood of the people living at the Tanguar Haor.

The ecosystem of Tanguar Haor is unique and in 1999, it has been identified as an

Ecologically Critical Area. Despite its beauty and ambient view, the wetlands face

environmental crisis. The flocks of tourists and nature enthusiasts visiting the wetlands are

also destroying it. Illegal poaching and hunting are rife, as the ecology of the wetlands is

being endangered (Dhaka Tribune, 2017). Moreover, in recent years, animals have been ding

due to plague and low quality of water. Fishes have been found dead by near the wetlands,

putting serious questions on the deteriorating quality of the water and experts are finding

ways to protect the wetlands (Bangladesh Agricultural University , 2017). This is ultimately

threatening the livelihood of the people at the wetlands as almost 56,000 people depend on

the resources of the wetlands for survival.

The monitoring and evaluation plan developed for evaluating the livelihood of the people

living at Tanguar Haor, will explore the problems and hardships they face due to the falling

quality of the wetlands. Over the years, there have been rising concerns to protect the

Tanguar Haor. Community based projects have been undertaken in order to conserve the

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wetlands with the help of local communities. With the wetlands being named as Ramsar site

by UNESCO, the serene area is fraught with difficulties in sustaining the livelihoods which

puts forward the question: are the community based projects effective enough?

2 Purpose of this plan

This Monitoring and Evaluation plan is strictly for academic purpose prepared for the

Monitoring and Evaluation course at BRAC University which is conducted by Professor Dr.

Niaz Ahmed. The plan is not to be put up for any publication nor is it to be uploaded in any

sites. This evaluation paper only focuses on the project undertaken at the Tanguar Haor.

2.1 Objectives

The objective of this plan is to evaluate the livelihood component of Tanguar Haor. It also

analyses whether the projects taking place to conserve the livelihoods actually working or

not. It prioritizes evaluation of the projects at every step. As already mentioned, almost

56,000 people are dependent on the resources of Tanguar Haor. But the wetlands are

extremely prone to dangerous climate changes along with overexploitation of resources by

tourists and even local people. The crops of Tanguar Haor are very vulnerable to natural

disasters like floods, droughts etc. (Daily Star, 2017)

This plan will highlight the element of livelihood at the Tanguar Haor, with special emphasis

on the income generating activities such as fishing, hunting, tourism and resource

dependency. The goal is to analyse how the livelihoods are affected by these activities and

also the recent trends on the changes in livelihood of the people. The projects initiated by

organizations like IUCN will be the focal point. IUCNs project, which is in collaboration

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with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, focuses on making a co-relation with the local

communities for the protection of the Tanguar Haor.

The plan will also point out the migration rate at the Tanguar Haor as recent studies have

shown that people are increasingly moving out of the wetlands. Moreover, the objective of

the plan is also to show how the livelihoods of the people at the wetlands is causing the

quality of the resources to deteriorate which is supported by the loss of eco life at Tanguar

Haor.

The main objective of the plan is only to evaluate the livelihood around the Tanguar Haor.

The data collected is strictly secondary and only for academic purpose.

2.2 Evaluation Questions and Indicators

2.2.1 Indicator 1

Indicator Land submerged by floods

Definition The areas of lands in Tanguar Haor which have been completely

submerged by floods, causing huge loss of crops and wildlife

Purpose To assess whether the livelihoods of the people living at the wetlands

are affected by the floods. How often do the floods occur? How do the

people cope with them? How much loss is incurred? These are some

of the important questions which need to be addressed.

Data Collection The data is collected from secondary sources. The information has

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 been taken from journals, academic papers and different news articles

based on past research. Quotes from academicians have also been

included along with different proposals and projects being undertaken

to protect the livelihood of the people. Table-1 in the appendix shows

how much of the wetlands are submerged by flash floods in different

districts over the years.

Frequency This project is academic and hence ran for only two weeks. Started on

8th June 2017 and ended with the submission of the assignment on 20th

July 2017.

Reporting The monitoring and evaluation plan for Tanguar Haors livelihood

will be submitted to the course faculty on 20th July 2017.

2.2.2 Indicator 2

Indicator Migration from the Tanguar Haor

Definition Number of people leaving the wetlands per year in search of work

Purpose To assess whether the people migrate out of Tanguar Haor due to the

loss of income generating opportunities there or to look for better

opportunities at other places. Are the floods forcing people out of their

homes? Are the decreasing rates of resource availability forcing

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 people to migrate?

Data Collection The data is collected from secondary sources. The information have

been taken from journals, academic papers and different news articles

based on past research. Quotes from academicians have also been

included along with different proposals and projects being undertaken

to protect the livelihood of the people.

Frequency This project is academic and hence ran for only two weeks. Started on

8th June 2017 and ended with the submission of the assignment on 20th

July 2017.

Reporting The monitoring and evaluation plan for Tanguar Haors livelihood

will be submitted to the course faculty on 20th July 2017.

2.2.3 Indicator 3

Indicator Availability of natural resources at Tanguar Haor

Definition The allocation of resources among the people at Tanguar Haor. How

is the income generating activities affecting the availability of

resources at the wetlands?

Purpose To assess whether there is underutilization or overexploitation of

resources? How is tourism affecting the availability of resources? Are

the frequent climate changes affecting the natural plant and wildlife at

Tanguar Haor? What other activities are affecting the availability of

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 resources?

Data Collection The data is collected from secondary sources. The information has

been taken from journals, academic papers and different news articles

based on past research. Quotes from academicians have also been

included along with different proposals and projects being undertaken

to protect the livelihood of the people.

Frequency This project is academic and hence ran for only two weeks. Started on

8th June 2017 and ended with the submission of the assignment on 20th

July 2017.

Reporting The monitoring and evaluation plan for Tanguar Haors livelihood

will be submitted to the course faculty on 20th July 2017.

3 Data Collection

The strict timeline and short run immobility of the researcher prevented any field visit or

sample collections. No field research was conducted and hence, the data is quite incomplete.

However, the analysis and evaluation is based on secondary research and information is

mostly collected from past papers on the Tanguar Haor. While the overall project is still in

prototype stage, a field research would have given a more in depth knowledge of the

problems the people are facing there.

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 3.1 Sources of Information

The main sources of information included past research papers, journals, newspaper clippings

and old surveys conducted by researchers. Tables and charts have also been collected and has

been attached in the appendix.

4 Analysis and Interpretation

According to researchers, the livelihoods of the people at wetlands depend heavily on the

climate change. Sudden natural occurrences can be disastrous as wetlands are especially

vulnerable to the flash floods. It has been estimated that every year farmers produce 4.5 lakhs

hectares of crops out of which 1.41 hectares of land around the Tanguar Haor submerge

under the water. This causes huge loss for all the farmers (Daily Star, 2017). The farmers

faced losses which totaled to 1500 crore taka. This affected 300,000 farmers in Sunamganj

alone. The heavy rain along with the sudden flow of water from the Meghalaya hills of India,

the floods have completely destroyed one fourth of the crops (Dhaka Tribune, 2017). Given

that crops like Boro account for almost 55 percent of output, the loss of lands cause many

farmers to sell off their cattle and

migrate to other places for work.

Table 2 shows the records of

rainfall collected by the hydro-

meteorological stations from the

years 1980-2010.

Dead fish floating in Matiyan Haor in Tahirpur near Tanguar Haor in the district.

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However, flash floods are not the only reason for the livelihoods to be affected. The biggest

shock to the livelihood of the haor people came when animals were suddenly dying around

the area. Series of fish and ducks were found dead along the shores, which is certainly one of

the most frightening and worrying issues of the Tanguar Haor. What caused so many animals

to die? Water samples collected by Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission indicated high

contamination in the Tanguar Haor. Being one of the Ramsar sites, the Tanguar Haor is home

to many different fish. But data showed that alost 500 tonnes of fish died at the haor (Daily

Star, 2017). One of the suspected reasons for such a large loss of fishes was due to the recent

opening of Uranium pits at the nearby Indian border areas. The mix of the chemicals might

also have contaminated the water although this has not been fully proven yet.

Moreover, illegal poaching and exploitation of resources is quite rife at Tanguar Haor. Being

indifferent to the ecosystem and focusing on the personal profits is not an unusual behavior

among business minded people. This in turn affects the livelihood of the people as

wellbecause they find themselves with scarcely any resources to generate income and food

from. Lack of fish prevent fishermen from fishing and they cannot sell much, causing their

livelihood to be jeopardized (IUCN, 2011). This raises serious doubt on the credibility of the

projects at Tanguar Haor, as they are failing to provide sufficient evidence to link the water

contamination with Uranium poisoning. How are the samples being collected? Are the

researchers really working together? How much say do the local people actually have in the

project? These are some issues which need to be addressed.

However, the projects to conserve Tanguar Haor do have a lot of significant impact on the

wetlands as well. Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the project

managed to fund 12.1 million BDT to provide alternative income generating sources for the

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people at Tanguar Haor. This was to ensure that resource exploitation be avoided. Moreover,

the water body is treated as a single one and the project is helmed by a central organization,

IUCN, to make sure that everyone is in tandem with the goals highlighted (IUCN, 2009).

5 Deliverables/Products

This plan is purely academic. The information used and analyzed is for education purposes

and will be submitted only to the respective faculty member. The final product is simply an

evaluation of the livelihood at Tanguar Haor. The factors affecting the livelihood at the

wetlands have been analyzed from secondary sources and this plan only focuses on the

evaluation part.

6 Works Cited

Bangladesh Agricultural University . (2017, 4 5). BAU expert team in Tanguar Haor.

Retrieved 7 18, 2017, from Banglanews24:

http://www.banglanews24.com/english/national/article/60636/BAU-expert-team-in-

Tanguar-Haor

Daily Star. (2017, 4 14). Havoc in haor. Daily Star.

Daily Star. (2017, 4 23). Havoc in Haors: Fish dying further down. Daily Star.

Daily Star. (2017, 4 22). Prelude to a spreading nightmare. Daily Star.

Dhaka Tribune. (2017, 2 2). Poachers sentenced to six-month jail. Dhaka Tribune.

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Dhaka Tribune. (2017, 4 27). Sunamganj farmers face Tk1,500cr loss due to flash flood.

Dhaka Tribune.

Feature Desk. (2017, May 20). Enjoy the biodiversity at Tanguar Haor. Daily Asian Age.

IUCN. (2009, 12 20). Community Based Sustainable Management of Tanguar Haor

Program. Retrieved 7 19, 2017, from IUCN:

https://www.iucn.org/content/community-based-sustainable-management-tanguar-

haor-program

IUCN. (2011). 2011 IUCN annual report: solutions, naturally. Dhaka: IUCN.

IUCN. (2016). Community-based sustainable management of Tanguar Haor. Retrieved 7 18,

2017, from IUCN: https://www.iucn.org/asia/countries/bangladesh/community-based-

sustainable-management-tanguar-haor

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Appendix

Table-1

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Table 2

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