North-West region spreads over the 16 districts of Bangladesh which is bounded by the Brahmaputra river in the east and the Ganges in the west. About 35% of Boro rice and more than 60% of the wheat and maize of the whole country’s production is from this area. Declining of groundwater levels, is a major concern for Barind area of Northwest region which have resulted in a lack of access to water for drinking and irrigation. Under different projects, we have estimated water demand for current and future cropping scenarios, and the sustainable limit of water use in the region by water balance and groundwater modelling. With limited opportunities for surface water (SW) irrigation, at present there are about 9,531 DTWs and 107,707 STWs (BADC, 2016) in Barind area. Study results shows some upazilas as resource constraint and declining groundwater table. In the next 25 years, food demand of the country is expected to be increased by 29% which will require increased cropping intensity. Without increasing the SW irrigation, added pressure on groundwater will lead to further depletion of the sources. Reduction of SW flows and lowering of groundwater table combined with impact of climate change will aggravate the existing water scarcity problem. All these have compounded the sustainable management of water in this area.
To overcome these complex issues, will require a proper management of surface water and groundwater in an integrated approach. Increasing use of SW, rainwater harvesting, enhancing artificial groundwater recharge, crop diversification for introducing less water consuming crops and optimize use of groundwater for irrigation can minimize the impact of drought and climate change. Regional cooperation can guarantee a sustainable future in terms of water availability since the basin areas of the river systems is dissected by international boundaries. A strong political commitment supported by adequate institutional arrangement is required. This paper will describe the technology for climate resilient water resources management as well as impact on groundwater table, in this region.