Bangladesh should take concrete steps in ensuring its fair share of water of 54 rivers, including the Teesta River, through negotiations with India, a discussion was told on Saturday. The need for Bangladesh to sign the 1997 UN convention on waters courses on an urgent basis to make the same enforceable was emphasised at the meeting
The meeting was organised jointly by Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) at Engineers Institution Bangladesh (IEB). CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim presided it over. The international rivers are shared mostly between India and Bangladesh. India has over the years constructed many dams and barrages on its side of the rivers reducing their flows into Bangladesh, threatening the physical and environmental security, life and livelihood on the largest delta in the world, speakers at the meeting said.
Speakers at the meeting criticised the government for what they called appeasement in its dealings with India in respect or river and order issues. Settlement of the question of ensuring free flow of the rivers was one that related to the existence of Bangladesh which is called a land of rivers. They said the government failed in diplomacy the gave the biggest neighbor whatever it needed without realising Bangladesh urgent demands.
The consultative meeting organised to firm up position to strengthen movement to ensure settlement of equitable sharing of 54 common rivers including the Teesta decided to launch an immediate campaign to pressure the government to sign the water courses convention into a treaty, at it required the signature of only one country to turn into a binding agreement. The convention provided for use to water without causing significant harm to coriparian countries.
The meeting decided to workout a status paper on the common rivers and created public public opinion inside Bangladesh, as well as liaise with river-dependent communities in other countries of the region who are fighting to escape the adverse impacts of unsustainable structural interventions on the common rivers to protect the water systems for the posterity from the greed of those who want to commodify those.
Leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and the Democratic Left Alliance who took part in the meeting besides experts and activists, are now in movement to secure just sharing of the Teesta which hit the lowest ever flow to 300 cusecs this dry season due to unilateral water diversion at upstream in India.
Experts who spoke at the meeting said that transfer of Teesta water lead to some increase in Ganges water this dry season. But the water was being taken further south and this inter-basin water transfer would ultimately serve severe blow to the life and livelihood of the people of both upper and lower catchments of the Teesta leading to its death.
The meeting underscored the need for effective bilateral negotiations to resolve water dispute between the two neighbours, and if necessary take issue to the international forums to get its fair share on the basis of hydrology science, international laws rules and environmental justice.
BSD general secretary Khalequzzaman said CPB and BSD plan to publish a white paper on the water issue jointly with other left political parties. Jahangirnagar University teacher and economist Anu Muhammad said the left political parties have to work together for getting international support on the water issue.
He emphasized on launching strong movement in this regard involving the neighboring countries. Water expert Mohammad Enamul Haque said the government should take initiatives to compel the Indian government to resolve the issue with Bangladesh. Mujahidul Islam Selim said that it would not be possible to resolve the issue without a united movement. Water expert SI Khan urged the political parties to join ranks and create pressures on the Indian government on the water issue. Among others, journalist Mustosfa Kamal Mujumder, editor GreenWatch Dhaka, BAPA general secretary Abdul Matin, columnist Abu Syeed Khan, president of Biploby Workers Party Saiful Huq, coordinator of Gonoshonghoti Zonayed Saki and president of united communist league Mosharraf Hossain Nann spoke at the meeting. – Staff Reporter & UNB
