MEDIA of Bangladesh and India are more or less vocal on river interlinking initiative of India. India yet to tell Bangladesh anything about it officially or even unofficially, though as India’s very close neighbour and lower riparian country Bangladesh will be seriously affected if this controvertial project is implemented. With this initiative India decided to shift water from 37 major rivers by digging canals as a remedy of drought. Delhi is set to start linking the Ken River with Betwa to divert annually 1,074 million cubic metres of Ken water from Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa river, 221 km to the south in Uttar Pradesh, according to India Today.This mega project was the brain-child of Mrs Indira Gandhi at the beginning of 1980. But she could not do much on it due to sharp reaction from the groups who were active to protect nature. After her death the matter became stagnant. But India government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has revitalised the programme. Moreover Indian Supreme Court recently instructed India government to start the project and complete it as soon as possible.India is a big country with high quality manpower. They know well what is good or bad for them. We have no authority to dictate them. But when their action tends to jeopardize stability of our environment and ecology we have no alternative but to react firmly to protect our right and interest. In India’s river inter-linking project two major components are to divert water of Brahmaputra and the Ganges. If it is done Bangladesh will suffer from increased salinity; as well as its ecology will be affected adversely. Millions of Bangladeshi people will suffer for this controversial project.Leaders of both the country claim that bondage of Bangladesh and India has reached new height. If it is so, then why government of Bangladesh know nothing about such a controversial project of India which can make its very existence vulnerable. We must act properly to protect our interest. Helplessness does not help when the question is protecting our interest.
