The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Water experts, environmentalists and economists yesterday at a meeting said meaningful and effective cooperation amongst the countries of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra river basin could have been resolved by proper regional water management.

Management of proper water sharing between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal had been impeded due to mistrust, fear and misperception, they observed.

They said that the water related problems were getting acute in the South Asia along with other parts of the world.

They called upon the government of those countries to amicably resolve the long-standing water management crisis.

Their observation came at a discussion on " Collaborative Management of Common Water Resources is Key to a Better Future for South Asia" organised by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) at the auditorium of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) at Eskatan in the city.

Dr Qazi Koliquzzaman Ahmad, Chairman, BUP presided over and Tauhidul Anwar Khan, former member of Joint River Commission presented the keynote paper.

Qumrul Islam Siddique, President of Bangladesh Water Partnership and Jalaluddin Md Abdul Hye, Additional Director General (planning) of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) also took part in the discussion.

The river basin areas face floods during the monsoon and scarcity of water in the dry season resulting in the dryness of many small rivers.

The hazards become more pronounced in the downstream Bangladesh by depriving its people livelihood and causing environmental degradation.

Bangladesh needs more water in the Ganges during dry season to support the socio-economic development for present and future generations.

The Ganges water sharing treaty signed between Bangladesh and India on 12 December 1996 is facing hurdles.

In the treaty, both countries have recognised the need to cooperate with each other in finding a long-term solution to the problem of augmentation of dry season Ganges flow.

Dr Qazi Koliquzzaman Ahmad said long-term management should be taken for resolving water sharing among the South Asian countries.

"We should resolve water management with other countries by giving priority on people and country's interest," he said.

Recommendations of the meeting include taking a true and meaningful cooperation among the countries, appropriate implementation of plans drawn collectively by the countries for resolving water sharing of the trans Boundary Rivers, not to treat waters of international rivers as 'ours' and 'theirs' and strengthening the BWDB.