Dhaka – The Bangladesh government is failing to adequately respond to naturally occurring arsenic in drinking water across large areas of rural Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Approximately 20 years after initially coming to international…
Global Water Partnership (GWP) announced that Dr Jerome Delli Priscoli is the new GWP Technical Committee Chair, effective April 4, 2016. The appointment is made by the GWP Steering Committee. “I am happy to welcome Dr Priscoli in our midst,”…
Last month, the NTPC plant near Farakka barrage was shut down after flow dipped. The Ganga that has nourished the Indian civilisation for centuries has recorded a historically low inflow in its lower reaches this year, going by the evidence…
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud has rejected any notion of “mistrust” of India and said “it is a matter of time” now before the Teesta water-sharing deal is inked. “It must happen,” he said speaking at a conference on…
Dhaka – Amid concern over frequent incidents of vessel capsize in the Shela River in the Sundarbans, the government on Wednesday imposed a permanent ban on the plying of all types of vessels through the river. The recent sinking of…
Australian authorities said Sunday coral bleaching occurring in the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef had become “severe”, the highest alert level, as sea temperatures warm. Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt said while the bleaching at this stage was not as…
Dhaka – Water resources minister Anisul Islam Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh experienced a drastic fall in the Padma River’s water flow during this dry season. ‘Generally, we get at least 65,000 Cusec (cubic feet per second) of water in…
Dhaka – National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads & Railways (NCPSRR) on Sunday urged the concerned authority to take necessary steps to stop plying of vessels through the Shela River in Sundarbans to keep it and its bio-diversity unhurt.
Prince El Hassan bin Talal and Sundeep Waslekar Amman – This year’s World Water Day, on March 22, provides an opportunity to highlight what in many countries has become a grim reality: The availability of fresh water is increasingly a…
Kathmandu: The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) has unveiled on 14 March the Power Development Agreement (PDA) of one of the national pride projects of the country — Upper Karnali hydro power project– in the capital on Monday. The document…
In Bangladesh, about 20 million people still lack access to safe drinking water. Since 1998, the World Bank has supported the government to enhance access to safe water. Built on the experience of two earlier projects, the Bangladesh Rural Water…
Giovanni Ortolani Communities in flood-prone areas often do not have access to information about flood forecasting. As a result, they do not have sufficient time to evacuate and put their cattle and belongings in a safe area. The new Community-Based…
Dhaka – Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi has said the long-sought Teesta water sharing deal will soon become a reality and the ball is now in India’s court. “It’s wise to say we’re very, very confident that…
The US embassy in Baghdad has warned the risk of the Mosul Dam collapsing is “serious and unprecedented” and has urged people to be ready to evacuate. Maintenance work was disrupted after the dam was briefly seized by militants from…
Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB) SK Sur Chowdhury has emphasised on strengthening water and energy efficiency investment for achieving sustainable development. “….mechanisms to capture the opportunities for water and energy efficiency investments need to be created or strengthened,” the…
More than 10 million people in India’s capital are without water despite the army regaining control of its key water source after protests, officials say. Keshav Chandra, head of Delhi’s water board, told the BBC it would take “three to…
At least 10 people killed as protesters from Jat community cut off water to New Delhi treatment plant, causing shortage. At least 10 people have been killed and 150 injured in protests by India’s agricultural Jat community in support of…
The water flow of the river Teesta in Bangladesh has dropped significantly in recent times. This has had a negative impact on irrigation and other socio-economic activities of the area. Bangladesh has requested India to sign an interim agreement for…
Tim Clark, the chair of Board of Trustees of WaterAid, an international non-profit organization, and Barbara Frost, chief executive officer, arrive here tomorrow on a six-day visit.
Reports previewed today by WWF and H&M find that the gap between water policy and implementation in Bangladesh is likely to affect the country’s economic growth. Findings suggest that national ambitions such as improved living standards, food security and textile…
Dhaka – Terming water-sharing issue between Bangladesh and India, a “sensitive”, Bangladesh has said it is in favour of setting up of a joint basin management system for common rivers. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali said this…
India’s environment watchdog has criticised the government for failing to clean up the Ganges river. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said it was “unfortunate” that both the federal and Uttar Pradesh governments had failed to clean the river. A petitioner…
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) today decided to form an experts group for exchanging best practices in water resources management and on specifics of the identified projects, power trade, inter grid connectivity, flood forecasting and other areas of possible…
Geneva – Tuesday, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) announced that Amina J. Mohammed, Environment Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will serve as its new Chair, effective as of April 5, 2016.
Dhaka – The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA) are Monday releasing a new report titled “Leave No One Behind: Voices of Women, Adolescent Girls, Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Sanitation…
French firms to study environmental impact of Grand Renaissance Dam as Ethiopia pledges to respect Egypt’s interests. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have agreed on which firms will carry out studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on…
Environmentalists formed a 71-km-long human chain on the banks of the Turag River this morning demanding an end to pollution and grabbing of the river. The Turag flows across Tagnail, Gazipur and Dhaka districts, and is linked to the Jamuna…
Ashok Swain One of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first priorities after winning an overwhelming victory last year on a platform of development and growth is to fast-track a decades-old plan to link India’s rivers. The ambitious infrastructure project, based on…
By Sundeep Waslekar In December 2009, I met Walid Muallem, Foreign Minister of Syria, in his office in Damascus, along with an eminent British politician. He rolled out before us his vision of peace process with Israel in phases. He…
Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud has called for joint efforts to harness the water resources in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna basins in order to ensure greater wellbeing of the people of the region, official news agency BSS has…