WORLD RIVERS DAY Efforts absent to conserve rivers

Bangladesh lacks legal mechanism for river conservation and fair share of water of transboundary rivers as it celebrates World Water Day today.

The High Court order issued in February declaring rivers as living entities would not be upheld unless due share of water of common rivers with India and Myanmar is ensured, environmentalists and experts said on the eve of the day.

They also stressed the need for ratification of the UN Watercourses Convention for ensuring proper share of transbopundary river water.

The World Rivers Day would be observed with a theme ‘river is a living entity, ensure its legal rights,’ which was announced at a rally in front Bangladesh National Museum in the capital.

The rally was organised on Saturday by Biswa Nadi Dibash Ujjapan Parishad, a platform of 70 organisations working for the rights of the rivers.

The organisers placed a five-point charter of demands for upholding the HC order declaring the rivers as living entities in the presence of state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury and river conservation commission chairman Muzibur Rahman Howlader.

The demands included amendments of existing laws for ensuring protection of rivers, enforcement  of laws, framing criminal charges against violators, controlling indiscriminate withdrawal of sands from riverbeds, ensuring quantity and quality of water flows of trans-border rivers as well as ratification of United Nation’s Watercourses Convention, 1997.

‘The right water share of trans-border rivers with India and Myanmar must be ensured for life of all rivers as their sources belong to territories of India, China and Myanmar,’ director of Riverine People Mohammad Ejaj, also an organiser of the rally, told New Age.

Bangladesh and India share at least 54 trans-border rivers, including the Ganges and Teesta, while Bangladesh shares the Sangu, Matamuhuri and Naf with Myanmar.

Without further delay, he said, the government must ratify Watercourses Convention, 1997 for strengthening its bargaining capacity with India and Myanmar.

He also demanded giving at least 30 per cent share of water to the rivers in case of conducting water sharing treaty on trans-border rivers.

‘The rivers themselves should be a party to all the talks and treaties since without water they will die,’ he said.

Over the years, environmentalists have been expressing their concerns over the adverse impact of India’s indiscriminate withdrawal of water from the trans-border rivers such as the Ganges and Teesta on the environment, ecology and agricultural.

‘We are the worst victims of Indian’s irrigation and dam projects. It is a growing concern as Indians are taking more irrigation projects in light of its national water policy,’ Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan joint secretary Sharif Jamil pointed out.

Dhaka University law professor Asif Nazrul expressed his surprise seeing inaction by the successive governments since 1997 since he felt that not ratifying UN Watercourses Convention, 1997 was a huge mistake.

‘Bangladesh was among the campaigners when the convention was adopted by the UN in 1997 when India was among those which strongly opposed it. But, I don’t know why successive Awami League, BNP and army-backed governments did not ratify it,’ Asif said.

It might have happened for their intention to not be annoying to India, he said. ‘The convention gives rights to a lower riparian country for protecting its river-based ecosystem,’ Asif said.

He also suggested that the government ratified 1992 convention of UN economic commission on Europe which was later opened for signature by all countries in 2015.

State minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud said the government was updating some laws and took projects for freeing rivers from pollution and encroachment as per HC directives.

Deputy water resources minister AKM Enamul Haque Shamim said that the government was very much concerned about the interest of the country and had successful discussion with India for holding joint-river-commission meeting regularly.

‘Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in her meeting with the Indian counterpart in early October will also discuss issues pertaining to Teesta and other rivers,’ he said.

He said he would look into the matter of ratification of the UN Watercourses Convention, 1997.

State minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud said the government was updating river conservation commission act and took projects for freeing rivers from pollution and encroachment as per HC directives.\

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net