DHAKA – Experts at a seminar today stressed the need for proper watershed management of the common rivers aiming to establish people-to-people connectivity between Bangladesh and India.
“…same rivers, same water and same soil, basically we have the same ecosystem,” executive director of Shillong-based Asian Confluence Sabyasachi Dutta said at the working session on economy, connectivity and regional cooperation of a seminar here.
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Indian High Commission in Dhaka jointly arranged the seminar on “Bangladesh and India: A Promising Future” at Sonargaon Hotel.
Moderated by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) fellow Dr Mustafizur Rahman, the working session was addressed, among others, by member of parliamentary standing committee on the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry Nahim Razzaq, BIISS research director Dr Mahfuz Kabir and senior fellow of Indian Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Joyeeta Bhattacharjee.
Sabyasachi said the common rivers originate from the Himalayan region and have fallen to the Bay of Bengal through downstream Bangladesh and India.
About the joint management of common rivers, he said the rivers carry a huge amount of rocks from the upstream and that is why interventions are needed in both upstream and downstream areas to address the problem.
Observing that India and Bangladesh look like a family, the Indian expert said: “We need to connect the level of minds, the level of hearts, to build connectivity (among us)”.
He underscored introduction of joint ecotourism focusing on the waterfalls located in the Indian state of Meghalaya and swamp forests in Sylhet of Bangladesh.
Nahim Razzaq observed that Bangladesh and India have a deep-rooted relationship, while the people-to-people connectivity is inherited in South Asia. “We have to trust each other…we have to support each other to build connectivity,” he added.
About the regional connectivity in South Asia, he said China is a big player and the second largest economy in the world and this is why everyone has to have relations with China.
Razzaq put emphasis on joint collaboration and joint investment in India, saying “There is an ample opportunity for us to invest in the Seven Sister States in North-East India.
Dr Mahfuz said the untapped trade potential of Bangladesh and India counts around $10 billion so it should be explored to strengthen trade connectivity between the two neighbouring countries.
He said Bangladesh and India in 2018 signed an agreement on coastal shipping to enhance bilateral trade connectivity, observing the coastal shipping has a huge potential there.BSS
