AWD – a water-saving method that cuts paddy irrigation costs by 20–25% | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
July 12, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • Subscribe
    • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2025
AWD – a water-saving method that cuts paddy irrigation costs by 20–25%

Agriculture

Shahadat Hossain
17 May, 2025, 10:00 am
Last modified: 17 May, 2025, 10:00 am

Related News

  • Hope in the hills: How women farmers in Bandarban are weathering the climate crisis
  • Bangladesh's food security at risk as farmland shrinks by 3.75% in 8 Years: BBS survey
  • Uncommon native fruits return to spotlight at national fair
  • Bangladesh now produces 72 fruits, says agri adviser as national fruit fair starts
  • Agriculture land protection law to be enacted for farmers: Adviser Jahangir 

AWD – a water-saving method that cuts paddy irrigation costs by 20–25%

In AWD, a paddy field is made wet and dried intermittently, meaning watering only when necessary

Shahadat Hossain
17 May, 2025, 10:00 am
Last modified: 17 May, 2025, 10:00 am
Infographic: TBS
Infographic: TBS
Infographic: TBS
Infographic: TBS

At present, producing one kilogram of rice requires approximately 1,500 to 1,600 litres of water during irrigation, most of which is extracted from underground through pumps. However, if the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation method is applied, the water demand reduces by around 200 litres, researchers at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) have observed.

The water-efficient AWD method can save irrigation water by up to 25%, thereby slashing costs by 20-25%, and at the same time boost rice yield by 3-10%, they say.

In AWD, a paddy field is made wet and dried intermittently, meaning watering only when necessary. 

In the method, a 3x10-inch perforated plastic pipe is placed vertically in the field, with six inches buried underground. Farmers can monitor the water table through the pipe and irrigate when needed. 

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

Talking to TBS, Dr Md Mahbubul Alam, chief scientific officer for irrigation and water management at BRRI, pointed out that paddy farming needs huge volumes of water. "Nearly 80% of irrigation water is sourced from the underground during Boro season." 

Talking about AWD, he said the method also benefits farmers economically. 

"It has been tested across the districts under Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet, Khulna, and Barishal divisions."

Dr Alam said the method requires minimal investment. 

Each pipe costs between Tk100-130, and three pipes are enough to monitor irrigation on a one-acre field. As such, production costs can be reduced by 15-20% as irrigation remains one of the largest expenses, he explained.

AWD has already gained traction in some parts of the country. Both governmental and non-governmental organisations are working for its promotion among farmers.

In Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah, over 1,000 farmers have applied the method to paddy farming.

Kamalesh Sharma, a farmer in Kurulia village of the upazila, has been using AWD for the past three years.

He shared with TBS that this season he has irrigated his three-acre Boro field 60 times. But before applying AWD, it needed 70–80 irrigations each year. 

He said the power consumption for irrigation has also been reduced. The monthly electricity bill for April has come down to Tk10,000 from Tk13,000 in years without AWD.

A local NGO, Sonar Bangla Foundation, is actively promoting AWD in Kaliganj. 

Its Executive Director, Shibu Pada Biswa,s said previously they provided farmers with pipes, but now many are buying them themselves.

Another farmer in the upazila, Abdur Rashid from Sundarpur village, said, "Earlier, I had to irrigate the field every other day. Now it's every 3–4 days."

AWD also contributes significantly to curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Mozammel Haque, senior scientific officer at BRRI for soil science, told TBS that the estimated methane emissions from paddy fields in the country are around 1.39 to 1.56 million tonnes annually, which can be curbed by 25-30% with the use of AWD in irrigation.

Bangladesh uses nearly 20,000 million cubic metres of groundwater during the Boro season alone. BRRI researchers say if 10 lakh hectares were brought under AWD, the saved water could be used to cultivate Boro on an additional 2 lakh hectares.

However, there are challenges to implementing AWD on a larger scale. 

Dr Jiban Krishna Biswas, rice scientist and former director general of BRRI, said the biggest obstacle is the existing irrigation pricing system. "The charges are seasonal, where the farmer has to pay the full amount for the season, regardless of the volume of water consumption." 

He highlighted the need for governmental policy reforms in this regard.

Currently, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is promoting pilot activities on AWD under a programme against methane emissions in agriculture. 

IFAD Bangladesh Director Valantine Achancho told TBS that rice production remains a major source of methane emissions in Bangladesh due to the country's irrigated paddy farming.

Promoting AWD practices is essential to enhancing the resilience of rural communities, advancing Bangladesh's climate agenda, and securing a more sustainable future for its agricultural sector, he stressed.

Top News

agriculture / irrigation / Paddy

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Bangladesh and US hold tariff talks on 11 July 2025. Photo: CA Press Wing
    Dhaka, Washington yet to agree on 20% of US tariff conditions: BGMEA
  • Rakibul Alam Chowdhury, former vice-president of BGMEA. Photo: Courtesy
    35% US tariff: Bangladesh’s $10b garment trade teeters on edge
  • Photo: TBS
    Midford murder: Despite expulsion of Jubo Dal leaders, police say no political links found among suspects

MOST VIEWED

  • Representational image
    In addition to 35% tariff, US demands 40% local value addition for 'Made in Bangladesh' goods
  • Screengrab blurred
    Killers bash in head of man with rock, stomp body with perverse pleasure
  • How tender rules and a lone bidder stall a $2.5b power plant
    How tender rules and a lone bidder stall a $2.5b power plant
  • Economist Abul Barkat; Photo: Courtesy
    Economist Abul Barkat arrested in graft case
  • Photo: UNB
    WHO's Saima Wazed Putul 'placed on indefinite leave' amid corruption allegations: Health Policy Watch
  • After India's visa restriction, China's Kunming is drawing Bangladeshi patients
    After India's visa restriction, China's Kunming is drawing Bangladeshi patients

Related News

  • Hope in the hills: How women farmers in Bandarban are weathering the climate crisis
  • Bangladesh's food security at risk as farmland shrinks by 3.75% in 8 Years: BBS survey
  • Uncommon native fruits return to spotlight at national fair
  • Bangladesh now produces 72 fruits, says agri adviser as national fruit fair starts
  • Agriculture land protection law to be enacted for farmers: Adviser Jahangir 

Features

The 2020 Harrier's Porsche Cayenne coupe-like rear roofline, integrated LED lighting with the Modellista special bodykit all around, and a swanky front grille scream OEM Plus for the sophisticated enthusiast looking for a bigger family car that isn’t boring. PHOTO: Ahbaar Mohammad

2020 Toyota Harrier Hybrid: The Japanese Macan

2h | Wheels
The showroom was launched through a lavish event held there, and in attendance were DHS Motors’ Managing Director Nafees Khundker, CEO Imran Zaman Khan, and GMs Arman Rashid and Farhan Samad. PHOTO: Akif Hamid

GAC inaugurate flagship showroom in Dhaka

2h | Wheels
After India's visa restriction, China's Kunming is drawing Bangladeshi patients

After India's visa restriction, China's Kunming is drawing Bangladeshi patients

23h | Panorama
Photo: Collected/BBC

What Hitler’s tariff policy misfire can teach the modern world

1d | The Big Picture

More Videos from TBS

US-Canada trade talks still uncertain

US-Canada trade talks still uncertain

1h | TBS World
Air India crash: What happened before the plane crashed?

Air India crash: What happened before the plane crashed?

3h | TBS World
Home Affairs Advisor calls on everyone to come forward and stop violence

Home Affairs Advisor calls on everyone to come forward and stop violence

4h | TBS Today
More than a thousand layoffs at once in US government agencies

More than a thousand layoffs at once in US government agencies

5h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net