1. Research Concept Development for
WFM 6209 Interdisciplinary Field Research Methodology in Water Management
Research Concept Development for
Field Practical
M. Shah Alam Khan
Professor
Institute of Water and Flood Management,
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

2. Research Concept Development
Research … systematically seeking answer to a question (and a set of logically-linked sub-questions)
There will be a Central Question of the ‘Research Team’ (the whole class)
The Central Question of each group will be a sub-question of the Central Question of the Research Team.
Each group will have a set of sub-questions to answer the group’s central question.

3. Research Concept Development
How do we prepare for the research? What do we need?
Question(s)
Conceptual framework
Methodological framework
Research Proposal

4. Research Concept Development
The Parts of a Proposal
Conceptual Part:
What are you going to investigate?
Why are you going to investigate it?
How is the subject demarcated?
Technical Part:
What data are you going to collect?
Where are you going to collect your data?
When are you going to collect your data?

5. Research Concept Development
To get a first idea …
Describe the SITUATION
Explain what the PROBLEM is
Formulate your (central) QUESTION about it
Explain what your RESPONSE(S) will be
Note: Length of the ‘SPQR’ should be about one type-written page.

6. Research Concept Development
Example SPQR: ‘Kaliakoir’
SITUATION
Industrial effluent from various industries are flowing into the water bodies including the khals and beels. The fisher folks are being affected because of the water pollution.

7. Research Concept Development
Example SPQR: ‘Kaliakoir’
PROBLEM
Because of the reduced availability of fish (quantity, quality, variety) and health problems, the fisher folks find it difficult to live on their livelihood.

8. Research Concept Development
Example SPQR: ‘Kaliakoir’
QUESTION
What are the fisher folks doing to mitigate the water pollution problems?

9. Research Concept Development
Example SPQR: ‘Kaliakoir’
RESPONSE
Interview and group discussion:
different fisher folk groups

10. Research Concept Development
So, we begin with the ‘SPQR’ of the field practical.
But first we need an overview of the study area … …

11. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Location

12. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar

13. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Source: Composite ‘Google Earth’ images.
The Bakkhali River

14. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar

15. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar

16. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
The Rubber Dam
Length of dam bag
84 m
Height of dam bag
3.5 m
Weight of dam bag
14 ton
Max. retention height
4 m
Protective works:
Upstream
9 m
Downstream
13 m
Filling system:
Pump capacity
150 m3/hr
Filling time
8 hrs
Filling fluid
Water
Irrigation area
6000 ha
Cost
36 M Tk.
Construction year

17. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
The Rubber Dam

18. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Irrigation System
The rubber dam conserves about 80 Mm3 of water.
The conserved water is lifted by LLPs to irrigate 6,000 ha of Boro rice.
There are 124 blocks (irrigation units); each block is based on an LLP.
The irrigation season generally starts from the end of December and continues through April.
The average conveyance losses are 8.7 m3/day/m2 of wetted perimeter; in the first 100 m of the canals the loss is 20.8% of the pump discharge.
Irrigated area performances have been poor; the command area as of 2004 was 1315 ha, which is significantly lower than the targeted area of 6,000 ha.

19. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Irrigation System

20. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Livelihood
Most of the people are engaged in agricultural activities.
Fisher folks live mostly in the downstream reaches of the rubber dam. Some fry catchers live upstream of the dam and some near the confluence downstream of the dam.
Although culture fisheries are present within the project area, activities are mostly controlled by the WMCA members and local elites.

21. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Agriculture

22. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Fisheries: Outside Dam

23. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Fisheries: Inside Dam

24. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Water Management Institutions
Operation of the rubber dam is performed by a three-tier Water Management Cooperative Association (WMCA).
The three levels of management are performed by a Central Management Committee (CMC), an Operation and Management Committee (OMC) and a Block Management Committee (BMC).
Members of the BMC are elected by the farmers. The OMC, in turn, is elected by the BMC members. Block managers (or scheme managers) have been traditionally operating the LLPs in the area and pay a fee to the WMCA for their operation.
Irrigation activities are coordinated by the BMC while the OMC performs the main executive activities including operation and maintenance and collection of fees.
The CMC provides advisory support to the OMC.
There is a ‘Conflict Mitigation Committee’ chaired by the TNO.

25. Introduction of the Study Area Bakkhali Water Conservation Subproject, Cox’s Bazar
Reported Issues
Performance of WMCA: irregular meeting, collection of membership fees, operation and maintenance.
Water tax collection discrepancies: role of ‘scheme managers’ and variability in overhead.
Water withdrawal by 3-HP ‘unauthorized’ pumps.
Conveyance loss in the irrigation canals: role of ‘scheme managers’ in improvement.
Arrangements for siltation removal, erosion protection and reconstruction/repair of the sluice gates.
Fisheries: culture fisheries – ownership, open-water fisheries – livelihood.
Boat communication – livelihood and local trading.
Environmental flow requirement.
Water level requirement: downstream flooding vs. upstream loss in coverage.
Reduction in water availability due to construction of upstream earthen dams.

26. Field Practical: The Central Question
All student groups will work around a ‘central research question’ of the whole research team.
Each of the research questions of the sub-groups will address interdisciplinarity and will be of sociotechnical design.
The central research question of the whole research team will be:
How did/do the technical, agronomic, environmental, organizational and socio-legal/political dimensions of water management shape the actual water management pattern (design, organization, allocation and actual delivery) and how do these dimensions interact at different levels of the water management system?

27. Field Practical: Broad Areas of Sub-groups
Each student group will work in one of the following broad areas of research through developing and addressing the group’s central research question (a ‘sub-question’ of the central research question of the whole research team), and a set of logically-linked sub-questions for the group.
1. Institutional arrangement for water management
2. Performance of irrigation system
3. Environment, ecosystem and livelihood
4. Water use and user conflicts

28. SPQR: Field Practical Group Discussion Group Assignment
Presentation, Discussion and Feedback in next class

29. The Conceptual Part of a Proposal
Introduction (based on SPQR)
Objectives (what the research wants to achieve)
SMART: Specific, Measurable, Agreed-upon, Realistic, Time-bound
Question
Efficiency: what do you actually need to know?
Steering: where do you find the data?
Concepts (explanation of concepts and theories)

30. The Conceptual Part of a Proposal
Conceptual Framework
Identifies and defines a set of relevant concepts in relation to a research question. It clarifies the relation among those concepts. It demonstrates their relevance and the way in which they will be used to analyze the findings.

31. The Conceptual Part of a Proposal
Conceptual Framework: Bakkhali Subproject
The water conservation system should be analyzed as a sociotechnical system. The design of infrastructure is based on the ideas and interests that people had and have with respect to its use. And the other way around, once these social interests and ideas have been materialized in the layout, in structures and in other technical irrigation facilities, the infrastructure requires specific forms of organization and social control in order to function as intended.
The research wants to analyze the planned and actual functioning of water management, and see how technical, economic, social and political factors influenced past and present design and management decisions.

32. Research Questions and Conceptual Framework: Field Practical
Group Discussion
Group Assignment
Presentation, Discussion and Feedback in next class

33. End of Part 1

34. The Technical Part of a Proposal
Materials:
What are your sources of information? Can you access those?
Strategy:
General or in-depth?
Measurements? Interviews? Experiments?
Planning:
When are you going to do what?
(Remember, you will have 5 days in the field. So think practically of what you can and cannot realize)

35. The Research Proposal Title page Introduction Objective(s)
Research Question (and sub-questions)
Conceptual framework
Methodology
Work plan
References

36. The Research Proposal Things to Remember:
Writing a research proposal is an iterative process – you cannot write a proposal from A to Z in one shot.
You move forward and backward, and again forward – a matter of optimization.
Final proposals are to be submitted after fine tuning at the end of Day 1 of field practical.