Potentialities of Small Water Resource : A small township base stusy about distribution and uses of small water bodies at Gopalpur Pourashava in Tangail District

Water management systems in Bangladesh are complex and diverse. Agriculture and aquaculture are the dominant activities in rural life and both are dependent on successful water management. Access to adequate and safe domestic water and sources of water for maintaining the livestock for at least subsistence purposes are part and parcel of rural life. Vital sources of water are the Small Water Bodies (SWB's) like doba, pond, dighi, khal, and beel are common in rural areas. Small water bodies of Gopalpur Pourashava are one of the key water bodies of Bangladesh located in the middle part. There has been a changing trend in the land use feature over years in the study area. This is happening mostly in the recent decades. To restore the beel back to an ecologically productive status, it has become imperative to know correctly and precisely the magnitude of changes that have occurred over the years and also to know the seasonal changes which continues even now. This is important to plan for a development strategy that may harness the full development potential of water bodies on a sustainable development.