The New Nation - Internet Edition

M. Mizanur Rahman

In each year the people of India and Bangladesh have been experiencing the devastating flood within its territory causing untold sufferings to its people in all respect physically and economically. This is common for both the countries. Flood never comes giving any prior signal to any country or nation. It never distinguishes the big nation or small nation, rich one or small one, and its communal animus. Everyone knows that it has its abrupt flow downward from the origin of its source. When glaciers melt away from the peak of the Himalayan region along with the torrential rainfalls the huge amount of water flow downward violently and irresistibly. The terrible streaming force of it damages the man-made barrages also. We have become the easy prey of this natural disastrous calamity. Did we ever put any serious effort to make any end to it? Had there been any united effort to resist the onslaught of such disastrous flood?

The regional or local piecemeal efforts had been made to divert the waterway in order to weaken such flood effects sometimes with little effect or no effect. There had never been found any permanent solution to it. Of course, this had been happening due to lack of technology and united efforts of the nations concerned.

Now the SAARC nations can do a lot with their united efforts towards solution of this stupendous problem. By solving this problem each nation of the SAARC countries will be benefited economically. The water is life. Its proper use will give benefit to each nation tremendously.

Gain hydro-electricity from it, make reservoirs for irrigation and divert water where necessary between the nations for the benefit of the people of the SAARC regions equally. The proper control of water and its use can make the people of the areas bounteous mitigating their poverty for good.

Hence joint ventures of these nations are necessary in order to bring about mutual benefit and thus save the lives and properties of the people of all areas of SAARC regions. This is of course an uphill task, which needs proper planning and an accurate technological manning. Every SAARC nation is hungry of energy. Here the water will be the source of energy. The water can transform the desert into a lush green orchard with full of flora and fauna.

The SAARC nations must come to terms to this effect without looking back to their narrow national or communal or parochial interests. This is the interest of the joint humanity.

This would be the case of gain only. There is no loss for any country or nation. Only to tap the natural resources for mutual benefits to alleviate poverty of all the people of the areas concerned.

To be united in this regard each nation must come forward with firm determination honestly to work together without any misgivings.

If SAARC could come in oneness with sincerity and with the sense of sacrifice and love for fellow beings as humans, there would be no problem at all in this regard. Every nation of this region would be happy and prosperous for the ensuing future to come.

Flood would not make any headway to engulf anybody's land or property anyway. All waters must have been exploited to bring about the prosperity of the SAARC nations and its people. Let us hope for the best.

It would not be out of place to mention about most of the rivers in both Bangladesh and India is invariably silted. These also need dredging thoroughly.

Though it incurs heavy cost primarily, yet the future looks to be brighter for both the countries. Rather innumerable rivers and rivulets run on the vast Indian territory and some of them are closely linked with Bangladesh.

Hence Bangladesh needs Indian co-operation and co-ordination towards flowing of the rivers unhindered.

When a river flows from one foreign country to another its status becomes automatically and naturally international. Moreover, all rivers fall into the sea ultimately.

The rivers flow across Bangladesh is falling into the Bay of Bengal. Our sea lines linking rivers are lying on the eastern and southern parts of Bangladesh. While the northern part of it remains almost adjacent to the Himalayan belt.

The rivers connecting our port areas linking the Bay of Bengal have its regular ebb and tide. Both the areas are flood-affected zones.

All along the rivers linking the coastal areas are also said to be cyclone prone zone. Hence the people of the coastal areas have to be prepared to face such natural calamities like flood and tidal waves time and again.

When there is tidal bore the low-lying coastal areas along the Bay become inundated. If the natural flow of the rivers could be ensured by dredging out the silts the formidable effects of flood would have been averted or lessened to a great extent, on the other hand, the dredged out silts by the banks of the rivers would be of great use to irrigation and cultivation of lands in Bangladesh as well as in India.

There is a general apprehension of fear among the global people about the climatic change. The people along the coastal areas are apt to carry on tree plantation.

While the source of water from the countries falls under the Himalayan belt linking China are Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh are SAARC countries. Their joint efforts for mutual interests would be of great use in solving this flood problem, which is not only the problem of the regions concerned but also the problem globally for its climatic turn towards humanitarian causes.