Agriculture remains the backbone of Bangladesh`s economy and a vital source of livelihood for most of its population. While the country’s fertile soils and favorable climate allow year-round crop cultivation, the sector faces high pressure, due to rapid population growth, limited arable land, groundwater depletion and poor water quality (e.g., salinity in the coastal region), and adverse impacts of climate change including frequent and prolonged droughts as well as severe floods. Over the past three decades, irrigated land in Bangladesh has expanded from 2.58 million ha in 1990 to about 5.63 million ha in 2020, raising the share of irrigated land from 31 to 66% ^[1]. This rapid expansion – driven largely by the need to sustain rice production for a population that rose from 90 million in 1981^[2] to 165 million in 2022^[3], —has relied heavily on groundwater abstraction, often without a coordinated planning and assessment of water resources, leading to declining groundwater levels, irrigation inefficiencies, and rising energy costs for pumping.

Facing these issues requires a transition toward data-driven, science-based agricultural water management, where technology and knowledge integration play a central role. In response, the Web-based Agricultural Water Management Information System for Bangladesh (Web-AIS) project aim to provide a holistic framework that connects environmental data, modeling tools, and digital services into a unified platform. Web-AIS combines state-of-the-art technologies—including real-time sensor networks, remote sensing, and interoperable model integration—to enhance understanding of the water resources and guide sustainable irrigation planning. The project’s core components include integrated surface–subsurface modeling, crop and irrigation management modeling, and climate forecasting, collectively aiming to support informed decision-making for efficient water use.

Within this framework hydrogeology plays a vital role. Three numerical models of distinct regions, captures the diverse hydro-climatical settings across Bangladesh: (i) the central region (Manikganj – Dhaka), where continuous groundwater abstraction has caused a significant decline in water levels in Dhaka, and altering the magnitude and direction of the interaction between rivers and the shallow aquifer system; (ii) the northwestern region (Rajshahi Division), where prolonged dry-season pumping drives sustained declines in water tables; and (iii) the southern coastal region (Khulna – Satkhira), where salinity intrusion, brackish-water use (e.g. shrimp farming) threaten freshwater resources. Together, these models aim to quantify recharge dynamics, groundwater–surface-water interactions, groundwater depletion trends, and sustainable abstraction thresholds, forming the scientific basis for an integrated groundwater-management strategy under the Web-AIS framework.

References

^[1]Maniruzzaman, M., Biswas, J.C., Hossain, M.B. et al. Greenhouse gas emissions from dry season rice irrigation in Bangladesh. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 30, 8 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-024-10197-3

^[2]Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Statistical yearbook of Bangladesh. Statistical Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

^[3]Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. (2024). Statistical yearbook of Bangladesh. Statistical Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.