A Correspondent:
Rajshahi: Speakers have demanded the formation of a regional river commission comprising China, Ne-pal, Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh under the supervision of the United Nations and the World Bank to ensure fair share of Ganges water.
They made the demand at a mass gathering organized by the ‘Farakka Long March Day Celebration Committee’ on the bank of the Padma River at Barokuthi in Rajshahi city on Saturday afternoon mark-ing historic ‘Farakka Long March Day’.
The regional commission would be able to ensure equitable distribution of water in the river basins of the region, environmental conservation, economic development of the people of the river basins espe-cially the poor, improving living standard of people and protecting the rights of neglected women and children, they observed.
Advocate Enamul Haque, President of the Rajshahi chapter of the ‘Save the River and Environment Movement’ presided over the function.
The speakers urged the government to take necessary steps to save the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and the UNESCO World Heritage, from the reduced river flow and excessive salinity.
They said that the damage caused to Bangladesh due to the diversion of water through India’s Farakka Barrage in the Ganges River, the dam on the Teesta River, and dams on other rivers must be assessed.
Besides, the speakers said that if reservoirs are built in Nepal to store Himalayan water, the water flow at Farakka during the dry season could be increased from 130,000 cusecs to 190,000 cusecs.
Everyone would be benefitted from that. With the help of reservoirs, Nepal would be able to generate about 10,500 megawatts of electricity annually, which Nepal could also export to Bangladesh, they add-ed.
Professor M. Rafiqul Islam, former Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University presented the key-note paper at the event while Prof. Nazrul Islam Mondol, Member of Parliament from Rajshahi-5 constituency, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, President of the International Farakka Committee, Ershad Ali Esha and Ad-ministrator of the District Council took part in the discussion.
Dr. Wasim Hossain, President of DAB’s Rajshahi District Branch, river researcher Mahbub Siddiqui, Azad Khan Bhasani, Member Secretary of the Bhasani Council, and Sultan Mahmud Sumon, Vice Presi-dent of the Rajshahi Interest Protection Committee also spoke on the occasion, among others.
