Bhasani Anusari Parishad holds a roundtable meeting titled ‘withdrawal of water in upstream: catastrophe for Bangladesh’ at National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday. — New Age photo
Bhasani Anusari Parishad holds a roundtable meeting titled ‘withdrawal of water in upstream: catastrophe for Bangladesh’ at National Press Club in Dhaka on Saturday. — New Age photo
Politicians, academics, water experts and journalists on Saturday at a roundtable demanded rightful sharing of the common rivers between Bangladesh and India.
There are 54 common rivers between the two countries and India unilaterally controlled the flow of water making barrages and dams on most of the rivers, posing a threat to the ecology of Bangladesh.
Bhashani Onusary Parishad organised the roundtable at National Press Club in the capital.
Water expert SI Khan read out the keynote paper at the programme, where he said Indian was controlling the flow of water of the common rivers unilaterally to turn Bangladesh into a desert.
He called on all political parties and organisations to be united to wage a strong movement to compel the government to protest against India’s unilateral withdrawal of common rivers’ water.
He also proposed waging movements in the upazila and district levels holding rallies, processions and human chains and placing the issue before international forums.
Haider Akbar Khan Rano, presidium member of Communist Party of Bangladesh, called for putting pressure on the ruling government to take steps to get due share of the water of the common rivers between Bangladesh and India.
Ganashasthya Kenra trustee and leader of the Parishad Zafrullah Chowdhury said, ‘We need a patriot leader like Maulana Bhashani to realise our rightful share of water from India.’
He also called on the political parties to be united to press for the demand.
Journalist Amanullah Kabir said successive governments in Bangladesh failed to realize justified share of water of the common rivers.
The Indian governments were not interested to sign any multilateral agreement to resolve the issue, Amanullah said.
Nagarik Oikya convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna criticised the foreign policy of the ruling government saying it was subservient to the Indian government.
Chaired by president of the Parishad Jahangirnagar University teacher Jasimuddin Ahmed, the programme was attended by private university teacher AKM Ruhul Amin, journalist Mostafa Kamal Majumder and secretary general of the oganisation Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu.
-New Age
