Frame water policy to avoid eco-disaster
Speakers tell Kushtia dialogue
Our Correspondent, Kushtia
Speakers at a dialogue in Kushtia yesterday emphasised framing a national water policy and a water management plan covering all aspects including irrigation, fisheries, environment and ecology.Too much dependence on underground water for irrigation, particularly in northern district, may cause an ecological disaster if precautionary steps are not taken right now. They regretted that in 35 years, a policy could not be formulated to check intrusion of salinity in southern region, which is badly affecting agriculture in the area. The dialogue on Integrated Water Resources Management ('IWRM) in Southwestern Region (SW region) and Protection of Padma-Gorai River was organiserd jointly by Bangladesh Water Partnership (BWP) and Folklore Research Institute in cooperation with the Global Water Partnership in Sweden. It was chaired by Water Development Board (WDB) engineer Giaus Uddin Ahmed. Former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr. Maniruzzaman Mia attended the discussion as chief guest. Water resources expert Dr. Ainun Nishat; Prof Dr. Shomser Ali, VC of Southeast University; Prof Foyaz Mohammad and Kushtia Islamic University vice-chancellor Serajul Haque attended the dialogue as special guests. Discussants included former Law Faculty Dean Prof Dr. Abdul Karim Khan of Islamic University, Dr. Sahidur Rahman of Rajshahi University and Nazibul Haque of Islamic University. Government officials, civil society members, NGO representatives, local body leaders and media men attended the dialogue. Dr. Ainun Nishat presented the keynote paper. Prof Nasim Banu and Dr. Rabeya Begum of Islamic University moderated the dialogue. The speakers said flow of Padma has decreased alarmingly due to withdrawal of water at Farakka point in India, leading to drying up of at least 15 tributaries including Gorai. The Gorai is the most important tributary of the Ganges and serves the need of people of entire southwestern region of Bangladesh. More than 30 million people and 27 rivers in the region depend on the flow of Gorai. At least 27 rivers are drying up as the Gorai is being silted but no government took any effective step to dredge it, they said. On the other hand, use of underground water for irrigation has increased in the region due to decrease in flow of surface water, which is damaging soil structure and posing a threat to ecology. This situation will be disastrous if not checked right now, they said. They suggested construction of Ganges Barrage immediately and creating awareness on various water-related issues.
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