Inter Basin Water Transfer Link Project of India

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India's river-link to dry out 80 rivers
World Water Day seminar told

The Daily Star
Staff Correspondent
Tue. March 23, 2004

India's plan to divert water from the major rivers that flow down into Bangladesh would adversely affect the lives of about 10 crore people in Bangladesh, if implemented.

Speakers at a seminar titled 'Water: The friend and foe of mankind' to observe the World Water Day 2004 yesterday in the DPHE Bhaban, pronounced the opinion. The seminar was jointly organised by NGO Forum for Drinking Water and Sanitation, World Health Organisation and Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) and chaired by LGRD minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

About 80 rivers in Bangladesh are about to die out, while another hundred have already lost their natural characteristics due to the unilateral withdrawal of water in the upstreams by structures such as Farakka Dam in India, speakers added.

Geologists, water experts, chemists, engineers and public health experts from home and abroad gathered at the seminar to observe the World Water Day 2004 focussing on the theme: Water and Disasters.

Speaking on the occasion Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said, "As a result of unprecedented sedimentation of the rivers, the very existence of the Sundarbans, world's largest mangrove forest, is threatened."

Khorshed Alam, chief engineer of DPHE said,"In last two decades 60 percent of all human death tolls due to natural disasters like cyclones in the world occurred in Bangladesh."

Among others, HM Abul Qasem, secretary, local government ministry, SMA Rashid, executive director of NGO Forum, Han A Heinjen of WHO and Niels Severin Munk, Ambassador of the Royal Dutch Embassy attended the seminar.

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