Water Resources Planning Organisation

Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) a key organisation under the Ministry of Water Resources engaged in nation-wide macro-level water resources planning and management. In 1983 the government created the Master Plan Organisation (MPO) with a mandate to prepare a National Water Plan. MPO became WARPO under Act number XII of 1992. Flood Plan Coordination Organisation (FPCO), created in 1989, was merged with WARPO in January 1996. The major responsibilities of WARPO as mandated by the National Water Policy 1999 are: (i) to act as Secretariat to the Executive Committee of the National Water Resources Council (ECNWRC); (ii) to provide administrative, technical, and legal support to ECNWRC; (iii) to advise ECNWRC on policy, planning and regulatory matters of water resources and related land and environmental management; (iv) to prepare and periodically update the National Water Management Plan (NWMP) for approval of the National Water Resources Council; (v) to set up and update the National Water Resources Database (NWRD) and Information Management System; (vi) to act as a 'clearing house'; for all water sector projects identified by different agencies and to report to ECNWRC on their conformity to the NWMP; (vii) to undertake any special study, as may be required by ECNWRC, for fulfilling the objectives and programmes envisaged in the National Water Policy and the Bangladesh Water and Flood Management Strategy; and (viii) to perform any other function as may be assigned to it from time to time by the government.

WARPO is a multi-disciplinary organisation. It has 87 staff members of whom 42 are officers and professionals. It regularly publishes Technical papers and reports. Presently, WARPO is engaged in preparing: (i) the National Water Management Plan, which will include the NWMP document and the Regional Water Management Programme with appended Investment Portfolio; (ii) Setting up the National Water Resources Database; and (iii) carrying on ganges dependent area studies. Future projects of WARPO will include Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project.

The National Water Resources Data Base (NWRD) possesses almost 300 data layer in the following main groups: Base data, surface water, groundwater, soil and agriculture, fisheries, Forest, Socio-Economic, Meteorology, environment and Images. NWRD data are made available to different users.

WARPO attaches special importance and ensures stakeholders'; participation in all water sector planning. It is one of the major organisations/institutions using GIS for preparing database and decision-making. WARPO maintains a Webster (www.warpo.org) since 1999 for keeping its activities updated for information of all those interested in such data. [HS Mozaddad Faruque]