UK aid reductions have narrowed support for adaptation work in the Sundarbans, affecting plans for solar power, resilient farming, aquaculture and early warning services.
A major climate project in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans is set to end two years ahead of schedule after the United Kingdom cut foreign aid, raising concerns that thousands of vulnerable people in the region will lose support.
British newspaper The Independent reported that UK-based development organisation Practical Action has been implementing part of the project in the Sundarbans since 2023.
The project had been due to continue until 2028, providing solar power, climate-resilient agriculture, fish-farming technology and early warning systems for heavy rainfall and cyclones.
Tamanna Rahman, head of climate resilience for Practical Action in Bangladesh, told The Independent that the organisation was informed in April that the project would have to end in June. Following lobbying, the deadline was later extended until September.
Practical Action had been expected to receive £2.2 million for the project by 2026 but received significantly less funding.
As a result, while the project had aimed to reach 57,000 people this year, it will ultimately be able to support around 37,000.
The Independent also reported that UK-Bangladesh bilateral aid is planned to fall from £66.7 million in the 2025-26 financial year to £31 million in 2026-27.
The reduction in project funding is also disrupting longer-term support for marginalised communities in the Sundarbans.
Rahman said storms and cyclones were becoming stronger every year, sea levels were rising and soil salinity was increasing, while funding opportunities to help people adapt to climate change were declining.
According to the report, 140 entrepreneurs received Tk 50,000 each under the project and were also given initial training.
But with the project now closing, many of those initiatives could largely come to a halt.
The UK’s foreign development department said it was reducing grant-based assistance and moving towards partnerships with governments.
It said, however, that its ambition and efforts to tackle climate change would continue.
