& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Transboundary River Water

Political consensus needed to resolve problems

Staff Correspondent
Strong political consensus is needed to resolve transboundary river water problems, experts at a seminar said yesterday
They also urged the government to immediately ratify the Convention of Lawof Non-navigational Uses of International Water Course' adopted by the United Nation and create pressure on India for properly sharing the transboundary river water.
The issue should be dealt with at regional and international level instead of bilaterally or unilaterally, theyadded.
Bangladesh Water Partnership
(BWP) organised the seminar on ' Uansboundary Water Issues in South Asia' at Agargaon 1 GED Bhaban in die city, with Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda, a renowned water expert, as the chief guest.
Dr Shamsul Huda said the transboundary river water issue should be dealt with politically and that all political parties should reach a political consensus to this end.
"Lack of political consensus is the main obstacle to resolving die transboundary river water problem. It seems that all treaties signed with the neighbour countries, particularly India, are neglected after the change of government," he said.
He also said that the Awami League government signed a treaty with India in 1996 for resolving the issue, but the BNP government after corning to power in 2001 did not take the treaty into consideration, which is a main problem.
Presenting the keynote paper, Tauhidul Anwar Khan, secretary general of BWP. said India is planning to implement a mega project to link its rivers in order to transfer water from the north to south.
"There will be 30 links and about 9000 kilometres of canals to con nect 37 rivers at a cost of 5,60,000 crore Indian Rupees. Bangladesh will face acute water crisis if the
mega project is implemented. The country will have to deal with the Issue at the regional and international levels and for this reason a strong political consensus is needed," he added.
Former water resources ministers Anisul Islam Mahmud, Abdur Razzak and LK Siddiqi, BWP vice-presidents Prof M Maniruzzaman Miah and Mahammad Zamir, columnists Farhad Mazhar and Sadequc Khan and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) Director Sycda Rizwana Hasan also spoke at the seminar presided over by BWP Chairperson Quamrul Islam Siddique.