More than half of the rivers in Asia, Africa and Latin America have become more dangerous due to steep rises in organic and pathogen pollution over the last 20 years.According to a recent UN study, more than 300 million people…
Category: Water
PM for equitable sharing of transboundary rivers
New York – Underscoring the need for ensuring equitable sharing of transboundary water bodies, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said water should be considered as an integral part of the new development architecture and strongly advocated for creating a global…
Spotlight on Tanguar Haor: 2-day festival on Sept 16-17
Aiming to focus public attention on the exquisite natural beauty of the country’s second largest wetland and the immense tourism potential it holds, the local administration is going to organise a two-day ‘Haor Festival’ at Tanguar Haor in Tahirpur upazila…
Farrakka has wreaked environmental disaster in Bangladesh: IFC
Dhaka, 02 September – Leaders of the International Farakka Committee (IFC), an environmental and water rights watch group, have extended their support to the recent demand made by Mr. Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, India, to decommission the…
Contamination Threatens One of the World’s Biggest Freshwater Supplies
Three-quarters of a billion people across four South Asian nations rely on one vast water basin for much of their irrigation and drinking water. Called the Indo-Gangetic Basin, it stretches east to west over 618 million acres, sitting like a…
Unilateral intervention on common river flow unfair: Inu
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu today called as unfair unilateral intervention on the flow of common rivers amid reports of damage caused in Bangladesh with the opening of Farakka Barrage gates in the upstream Indian region.“It is not a correct…
Padma may cross danger level as all Farakka gates opened
The river Padma in Bangladesh is rising dangerously after India opened all gates to the Farakka Barrage to stop one of its states from flooding. The water level may cross danger level in the next 24 to 28 hours, Bangladesh…
Farakka Barrage water leaves 60,000 in Kushtia marooned
Kushtia: Floods triggered by the rise in water level of the Padma River after India opened the floodgates of the Farakka Barrage to ease Bihar flood situation left some 60,000 people in 30 villages of Daulatpur upazila marooned. According to…
Project to reduce dependence on groundwater okayed
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved a project for water preservation and safe water supply’ with an estimated cost of Tk 374.51 crore, aiming to reduce dependence on groundwater for safe water supply.The approval…
‘Farakka Dam’ responsible for spate in river Ganga: Bihar CM
Patna – Amid apprehensions of flood waters entering into Patna town, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Sunday said silt deposited in Ganga after the construction of Farraka Dam was responsible for spate in the river and asked the Centre to…
Tk 9,568b mega dredging plan keep rivers navigable
Dhaka – The government has taken a mega plan to conduct 2001 kilometers of river dredging and 690 kilometers of river training at a cost of Tk 956, 834 crore over the next 15 years, UNB news agency reported.
Happy Birthday? Narmada Bachao Andolan
Himanshu Thakkar Several times Ive felt that some lines from famous hindi song[i] from film Abhimaan sum up the feelings of many activists like me.. Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics came to mind again as I thought of writing about the Narmada…
Mistrust slows spread of solar disinfection tech
Manchester – Local mistrust is slowing take up of simple innovations that use sunlight to disinfect water, a UK conference has heard. Researchers working on low-cost, low-tech water purification systems for developing countries are struggling to convince local people that…
Flood receding in Northern districts, swelling in central Bangladesh
Flood levels have started receding in northern districts adjacent to Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers at Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra and Nilphamari but swelling in Tangail, Jessore, and Chandpur in central Bangladesh. In Gaibanda overall flood situation at chars and Brahmaputra river…
Flood situation worsens in Bangladesh’s 6 districts
The flood situation in Faridpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Jamalpur, Bogra and Munshiganj districts worsened further on Friday, as waters in the rivers flowing through the districts are swelling.Gaibandha Water Development Board sources said the Brahmapurta, the Jamuna and the Gaghat rivers…
Mobilisation of public opinion to protect rivers urged
Dhaka – Water experts and activists on Wednesday called for mobilising public opinion in favour of the protecting rivers which are basic to life and livelihood to 160 million people of Bangladesh. They made the call at an opinion exchange…
Government for river dredging, training: Anisul Islam
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud today said the government has taken initiatives for river management system including capital dredging in the country’s big and important rivers.Replying to a starred question from treasury bench member Momtaz Begum in the Jatiya…
Navy plan to control encroachment, pollution in Dhaka rivers
Dhaka – Bangladesh Navy has submitted a strategy before the government to control pollution and encroachment as well as maintaining proper navigability in four rivers that are considered the lifeline of capital Dhaka, official sources said, according to BSS.
Govt. is working to protect rivers from pollution, grabbing
The government will take a crash programme to check river pollution and grabbing, said Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan on Sunday.
The Aral Sea springs back to life
Successful recovery efforts have brought back the sea and new hope for devastated Aral Sea communities in Kazakhstan.Tastubek, Kazakhstan – The little village of Tastubek is situated in the North Aral Sea, 90km from Aralsk, a former port on the…
Indian minister threatens regulators, media, civil society over ILR
On June 7, 2016, (as widely reported by media[i]) Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti “threatened to go on hunger strike if the Ken-Betwa river linking project is further delayed and termed the attempt to delay the project by environmentalists…
Dying Putimari river cries for a new lease of life
Dhaka-It was barely 30 years ago when heavy water vessels like cargo, streamer and launch, used to ply the Putimari River in the district. Gone are the days! The once-mighty Putimari is almost a dead river now. It is going…
A disaster-in-waiting
By Shamsuddoza Sajen May – In a recent interview with BBC, India’s minister of water resources Uma Bharti unveiled her government’s massive plan to divert major rivers including the Ganges and Brahmaputra. According to the Guardian, the project is just…
Experts for formulating marine policy
Dhaka – Experts at a seminar on Monday underscored the need for formulating a marine policy and creating skilled manpower and infrastructure to tap the potentials of the sea-based ‘blue economy’.
PM’s initiative to ensure natural flow of rivers urged: IFC
Dhaka – Leaders of the International Farakka Committee (IFC) have urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion of the historic Farakka Long March Day to take an initiative to ensure natural flow of water in Bangladesh’s rivers. The IFC…
War and peace and water
Laura Tuck Washington, DC – India is currently facing its worst water crisis in years, with an estimated 330 million people – one-quarter of its population – affected by severe drought. Ethiopia is also dealing with its worst drought in…
Greens want govt steps to ensure supply of safe water in Dhaka
Dhaka – Green activists have urged the government for immediate steps to check water pollution, recover water-bodies and ensure safe water for all unb news agency reported. They said poor water management, unchecked water pollution and supply of unsafe water…
Large fish catches marked in Munshiganj section of the Padma
Dhaka – For the last couple of weeks, the Padma River in this district has been abundant with big size fishes of different species such as roui, katal, boal and pangas thanks to the sudden influx of gushing waters from…
Fulfill demands of water transport workers: National committee
Dhaka – The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads & Railways (NCPSRR) on Thursday urged the concern authorities to fulfill waterways transport workers’ 15 point demands including increasing of its minimum wage. At a joint statement, National Committee adviser and…
BBC Bangla program on dying BD rivers begins Saturday
Dhaka – The threat of extinction of Bangladesh rivers is the subject of ‘Amar Nodi’ (My River), a special content that will be on BBC Bangla from April 9 and April 16 on radio, online and social media, unb news…