Bangladesh Defense
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Padma, Teesta barrages can revive rivers: Rizvi
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said the Padma and Teesta rivers and other waterways across the country could be revived by storing excess monsoon water and increasing river flows during the dry season. Bangladesh needs to strengthen its domestic water resource management as it
Padma, Teesta barrages can revive rivers: Rizvi
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said the Padma and Teesta rivers and other waterways across the country could be revived by storing excess monsoon water and increasing river flows during the dry season.
Bangladesh needs to strengthen its domestic water resource management as it struggles to secure its fair share of water from the Farakka Barrage, he said, stressing the need for continued international negotiations alongside efforts to conserve monsoon water.
Rizvi made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable titled “The Role of the Padma and Teesta Barrages in Protecting National Water Resources” at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Storing excess monsoon water for use during the dry season would increase flows in the Padma’s distributaries and other rivers, helping protect agriculture, maintain environmental balance and conserve biodiversity, he said.
Water flows in the Padma, Teesta and other rivers were declining during the dry season, while shortages were also visible in some sections during the monsoon, Rizvi said. Sandbars could be seen in the rivers from bridges over the Teesta and Jamuna, he added.
Insufficient water flows through the Padma’s distributaries and tributaries were disrupting the natural process of pushing saline water back towards the sea, increasing salinity and harming biodiversity, he said.
The effects of the Farakka Barrage were also threatening various plant and animal species in the Sundarbans, he added.
Rizvi said rainfall in the Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi regions had declined by 30 per cent over the past 20 to 25 years, identifying the impact of the Farakka Barrage as one of the contributing factors.
Referring to the Farakka water-sharing arrangements, he said the 1977 agreement contained a guarantee clause to ensure water allocation, but the clause was omitted from the 1996 agreement.
Bangladesh needs to take a stronger position to secure its fair share of water through coordinated negotiations with neighbouring countries and continued efforts at the international level, he said.
Water-sharing disputes also exist among Indian states, Rizvi said, citing disagreements over the Krishna and Cauvery rivers. Parties are often reluctant to make concessions over water allocation, he said, adding that Bangladesh must also maintain a firm position in seeking its equitable share.
Highlighting the environmental consequences of disrupted river flows, Rizvi said the arsenic problem in the Barind region and other ecological changes required serious attention. Interference with rivers’ natural flows could have harmful environmental consequences, he added.
He referred to noted hydrologist B. M. Abbas’s book The Ganges Water Dispute, which discusses the adverse effects of the Farakka Barrage. He also cited engineer Kapil Bhattacharyya’s warnings about the potential harmful consequences of constructing a barrage on the Padma and altering its natural flow.
Reservoirs created through the Padma and Teesta barrage projects could store monsoon water and help maintain flows in tributaries and distributaries, Rizvi said. This would help restore river systems, protect agriculture and biodiversity, and improve inland water transport.
He also expressed hope that traditional Bengali riverboats, including sampan and pansi, could once again navigate the country’s waterways.
Special guest Asadul Habib Dulu said the vast areas of Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Gaibandha formed one of Bangladesh’s major agricultural belts. All kinds of crops were once cultivated in these areas, but water shortages and changing river conditions were now causing severe hardship for residents.
Nearly two crore people depended on the Teesta River for their livelihoods, he said.
The roundtable was jointly organised by the National Committee for Implementation of the Padma Barrage and Second Padma Bridge, the Teesta River Protection Movement and Bangladesh Professionals.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam chaired the discussion. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and MPs Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Selim Reza Habib spoke as special guests.
North South University Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Water Resources Secretary Dr A. K. M. Shahabuddin, Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission member Md Anwar Kadir and Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Md Ruhul Amin also spoke.
Bangladeshi Professionals President Mehadi Hassan Palash moderated the event.
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said the Padma and Teesta rivers and other waterways across the country could be revived by storing excess monsoon water and increasing river flows during the dry season.
Bangladesh needs to strengthen its domestic water resource management as it struggles to secure its fair share of water from the Farakka Barrage, he said, stressing the need for continued international negotiations alongside efforts to conserve monsoon water.
Rizvi made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable titled “The Role of the Padma and Teesta Barrages in Protecting National Water Resources” at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Storing excess monsoon water for use during the dry season would increase flows in the Padma’s distributaries and other rivers, helping protect agriculture, maintain environmental balance and conserve biodiversity, he said.
Water flows in the Padma, Teesta and other rivers were declining during the dry season, while shortages were also visible in some sections during the monsoon, Rizvi said. Sandbars could be seen in the rivers from bridges over the Teesta and Jamuna, he added.
Insufficient water flows through the Padma’s distributaries and tributaries were disrupting the natural process of pushing saline water back towards the sea, increasing salinity and harming biodiversity, he said.
The effects of the Farakka Barrage were also threatening various plant and animal species in the Sundarbans, he added.
Rizvi said rainfall in the Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi regions had declined by 30 per cent over the past 20 to 25 years, identifying the impact of the Farakka Barrage as one of the contributing factors.
Referring to the Farakka water-sharing arrangements, he said the 1977 agreement contained a guarantee clause to ensure water allocation, but the clause was omitted from the 1996 agreement.
Bangladesh needs to take a stronger position to secure its fair share of water through coordinated negotiations with neighbouring countries and continued efforts at the international level, he said.
Water-sharing disputes also exist among Indian states, Rizvi said, citing disagreements over the Krishna and Cauvery rivers. Parties are often reluctant to make concessions over water allocation, he said, adding that Bangladesh must also maintain a firm position in seeking its equitable share.
Highlighting the environmental consequences of disrupted river flows, Rizvi said the arsenic problem in the Barind region and other ecological changes required serious attention. Interference with rivers’ natural flows could have harmful environmental consequences, he added.
He referred to noted hydrologist B. M. Abbas’s book The Ganges Water Dispute, which discusses the adverse effects of the Farakka Barrage. He also cited engineer Kapil Bhattacharyya’s warnings about the potential harmful consequences of constructing a barrage on the Padma and altering its natural flow.
Reservoirs created through the Padma and Teesta barrage projects could store monsoon water and help maintain flows in tributaries and distributaries, Rizvi said. This would help restore river systems, protect agriculture and biodiversity, and improve inland water transport.
He also expressed hope that traditional Bengali riverboats, including sampan and pansi, could once again navigate the country’s waterways.
Special guest Asadul Habib Dulu said the vast areas of Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Gaibandha formed one of Bangladesh’s major agricultural belts. All kinds of crops were once cultivated in these areas, but water shortages and changing river conditions were now causing severe hardship for residents.
Nearly two crore people depended on the Teesta River for their livelihoods, he said.
The roundtable was jointly organised by the National Committee for Implementation of the Padma Barrage and Second Padma Bridge, the Teesta River Protection Movement and Bangladesh Professionals.
State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam chaired the discussion. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and MPs Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Selim Reza Habib spoke as special guests.
North South University Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, Water Resources Secretary Dr A. K. M. Shahabuddin, Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission member Md Anwar Kadir and Bangladesh Water Development Board Director General Md Ruhul Amin also spoke.
Bangladeshi Professionals President Mehadi Hassan Palash moderated the event.
