Staff Reporter :
Speakers at a roundtable have urged the government to raise the water sharing issue of the river Teesta to the United Nations to find a solution to the long-pending problem between Bangladesh and India.
Due to India’s unilateral withdrawal of river water in the upstream, Bangladesh is facing severe environmental degradation, including increase of salinity, deforestation and desertification, they told a roundtable Teesta water issue organized by ‘The South Asia Youth for Peace and Prosperity’, a non-government organization, at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
As Bangladesh and India bilaterally failed to solve the Teesta water issue, Bangladesh as the worst sufferer should take the matter to the United Nations, President of Bangladesh Water Partnership Shahidul Hasan said.
“Despite a lot of talks, we cannot see much progress in water sharing issue as the two countries are yet to reach an agreement. I think it is impossible to resolve problem bilaterally with India. So, we want the intervention of a third party, like the UN or China,” he said.
It is estimated that Bangladesh suffers Tk 30,000 crore loss every year due to India’s unilateral withdrawal of waters in the upstream, he added. .
Environmentalist Dr SI Khan said India has constructed a large number of barrages and embankments on all cross-border rivers and diverted the water flows to its territories, causing immense sufferings to Bangladeshis in the downstream.
Eminent political scientist Dilara Chowdhury said India has long been diverting waters of common rivers to enhance its food production, depriving Bangladesh of its fare share of waters from the trans-boundary rivers.
Former Director General of Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) Enamul Haque said at least three crore people living in an area of 20,000 square kilometers inside Bangladesh have been victimized due to withdrawal of river water.
“India has been withdrawing waters from Teesta and other rivers through different canals violating the international laws,” he said.
Professor Jasim Uddin Ahmad, Chairman of International Farakka Committee, said the environment and ecology of the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, are being damaged due to increase of salinity in the coastal areas.
“The withdrawal of common river waters by India caused an increase in the salinity of Sundarban areas, resulting in the extinction of various aquatic species. It also has detrimental effects on the biodiversity in different areas of Bangladesh” he said.
Speakers at a roundtable have urged the government to raise the water sharing issue of the river Teesta to the United Nations to find a solution to the long-pending problem between Bangladesh and India.
Due to India’s unilateral withdrawal of river water in the upstream, Bangladesh is facing severe environmental degradation, including increase of salinity, deforestation and desertification, they told a roundtable Teesta water issue organized by ‘The South Asia Youth for Peace and Prosperity’, a non-government organization, at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
As Bangladesh and India bilaterally failed to solve the Teesta water issue, Bangladesh as the worst sufferer should take the matter to the United Nations, President of Bangladesh Water Partnership Shahidul Hasan said.
“Despite a lot of talks, we cannot see much progress in water sharing issue as the two countries are yet to reach an agreement. I think it is impossible to resolve problem bilaterally with India. So, we want the intervention of a third party, like the UN or China,” he said.
It is estimated that Bangladesh suffers Tk 30,000 crore loss every year due to India’s unilateral withdrawal of waters in the upstream, he added. .
Environmentalist Dr SI Khan said India has constructed a large number of barrages and embankments on all cross-border rivers and diverted the water flows to its territories, causing immense sufferings to Bangladeshis in the downstream.
Eminent political scientist Dilara Chowdhury said India has long been diverting waters of common rivers to enhance its food production, depriving Bangladesh of its fare share of waters from the trans-boundary rivers.
Former Director General of Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) Enamul Haque said at least three crore people living in an area of 20,000 square kilometers inside Bangladesh have been victimized due to withdrawal of river water.
“India has been withdrawing waters from Teesta and other rivers through different canals violating the international laws,” he said.
Professor Jasim Uddin Ahmad, Chairman of International Farakka Committee, said the environment and ecology of the Sunderbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, are being damaged due to increase of salinity in the coastal areas.
“The withdrawal of common river waters by India caused an increase in the salinity of Sundarban areas, resulting in the extinction of various aquatic species. It also has detrimental effects on the biodiversity in different areas of Bangladesh” he said.
