People formed a human chain at Mira Bari Pol areas on Kalu Shah Road in Barisal city calling to save the river, canals, water bodies and resources by executing National Water Policy 1999 on Saturday.
The participants also called for assurance of equal and justified distribution and use of water through coordinated water management as fulfillment of basic human needs, saving the environment, ensuring socio-economic development, health and food security, and reducing poverty heavily dependent on water.
The programme was organized by Conscious Citizen Committee (CCC), local organ of Transparency International Bangladesh to observe World Water Day 2014.
Prof. Moazzem Hossain, president CCC Barisal unit, presided over the programme addressed by Advocate Salahuddin Masum, Kamrunnahar Rosy, BCC ward councilors, Prof. Shah Sajeda, Dr. Syed Habibur Rahman, Freedom Fighter Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, Rebeka Sultana, Shuvangkar Chakraborty, Abdus Sattar, Mojibor Rahman Khan, Khalilur Rahan Faruk, right activists.
The speakers condemning the passive role of the authorities concerned for the encroachment, filling and pollutions of the canal, river, water bodies demanded immediate recovery, re-excavation and preservation of rapidly disappearing major water bodies of the city.
The speakers of the programme said Barisal town once called as ‘Venice of Bengal’ had nearly 600 pond and water bodies, more than 22 canals in pre-liberation period and 17 canals in post-liberation period in and around the city and Kirtankhola River was more than four kilometres wide in 50 years back.
But rampant filling of the water bodies caused decreasing the existences to four canals, only 40 ponds in around of 45 square kilometres areas of Barisal city and width of Kirtankhola River have been limited to less than one kilometer making those water bodies rapidly dying.
Zone-specific planning and allocation should be the focal point of water cooperation in Bangladesh context to ensure food and health security, they pointed out by explaining merits and causes of observing World Water Day 2014.
“Water management is challenging in the country’s coastal region, haor, char lands and flood-prone areas of southern Bangladesh. It requires full engagement of the communities and local actors, including local government institutions. Local socio-economic, cultural and educational issues should also be taken in to consideration in terms of water cooperation, they suggested.
Chapainawabganj Correspondent adds: World Water Day-2014 was observed in a befitting manner in Chapainawabganj on Saturday. A colourful rally was taken out from the deputy commissioner’s office premises in the morning. It paraded the main roads of the town.A symposium on ‘Proper water management is the base of sustainable development- local reality’ was also held on the occasion at the conference room of the deputy commissioner of Chapainawabganj. It was held with the executive engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) Md. Bahar Uddin Mridha in the chair. Among others, additional deputy commissioner Dr. KM Quamruzzaman Selim as chief guest and Rajshahi regional manager of NGO Forum Rabiul Hoque spoke in the symposium.
