Water Museum

flow in the dry seasons, there is an increased dependency on the use of ground water for irrigation, industries and households which in turn is lowering the deep aquifer water reserves and ground water tables in Bangladesh. So, rivers including its sediment and water are equally important for not only agriculture and livelihood, but also for environment & ecological balance, aquatic life and navigation. Consistent river flow is also essential for temperature balance, rainfall, erosion control, protection from salinity intrusion, ground water recharge, vegetation, developing greenbelt, etc. Despite understanding the importance of rivers for Bangladesh, there is a lack of adequate initiatives by the Government, academicians, civil societies, activists and common people to govern and protect these rivers. Unplanned engineering, hard solutions without considering socio-economic and cultural contexts are failing to bring long term solutions. Even bilateral treaties and government policies on water management are highly biased towards structural interventions only and lack the vision of looking at water from more holistic point of view. Dams in upper riparian countries are also creating problems as they are controlling the water flow of the rivers. Out of the 800 a significant number rivers have dried up and many more have been polluted through industrial wastages and chemicals. As a result, there is a negative impact on agriculture, fisheries and human health because there is not enough water in the rivers, especially in dry season. Communities are increasingly unable to use river water for their survival. Furthermore, transportation and production cost of agricultural goods increases as ground water needs to be pumped up. The Government’s inadequate water resource management is also not providing solutions to such problems and as a result people are suffering. ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) firmly believes that rivers and its waters are not entities to be divided but a resource to be shared. People especially those who inhabit the river and are highly dependent on it needs to understand the changes and search for solutions. Politicians & people in power are required to comprehend the consequences of actions that harm the river and act in the best interest of the river! Without regional initiatives in South Asia however, it will not be sustainable for Bangladesh to take a standalone position on the current problems. To address this problem, AAB has started the multicountry “Water Commons” campaign with a vision to uphold the concerns of river and its waters from a common point of view which goes beyond political boundaries. To supplement the ongoing research and policy-advocacy initiatives regarding Water Commons, AAB has successfully established a “Water Museum” which was inaugurated on 29th December, 2014 at Pakhimara Bazar Area of Kolapara Upazilla under Patuakhali District. The idea of creating this water museum was to disseminate information and raise awareness among the communities, stakeholders and especially policy makers about the importance and necessity of safeguarding our rivers. This establishment is working as a strong basis for policy advocacy on “Water Commons” campaign of AAB; it is acting as a strong call for actions to save rivers in South Asia. The following are some key activities taking place at the water museum:
• Educational Exchange Visits: River related information, Maps, Publications, river treaties, photos of different rivers and its surrounding (present and extinct);
• Samples of different river water are exhibited to help us understand the texture and composition of river water;
• Annual Convention on Right to Water and River Rights;
• Interactive visual components regarding saving rivers of Bangladesh, to educate and create mass awareness among communities and relevant policy stalk holders in favor of River Rights and Right to Water;
• A website is being developed where all the information regarding AAB’s Water Commons Campaign and Water Museum can be found and understood

Through the project, AAB wants to to scale-up the impact and set up more museums throughout strategic river centric locations in Bangladesh: Biswamvarpur of Sunamgonj, Godagari/Charghat of Rajshahi, Lalmonirhat Sadar uapzila and Hathazari of Chittagong districts. Using these water museums as a platform, the proposed project will generate discourse on water centric development to raise awareness (among mass people and policy stakeholders) about the ongoing man-made water crisis in Bangladesh and identify new and innovative ways of solving the problem through development cooperation.