Rain harvesting for survival
Our rivers are drying up because upper riparian countries are diverting water from our rivers causing an acute shortage of water and desertification. The day may not be far off when we will have no water in the rivers.
Bangladesh, however, is a blessed country that gets plenty of rain. With the exception of the relatively dry western region of Rajshahi, where the annual rainfall is about 1600 mm, most parts of the country receive at least 2000 mm of rainfall per year. Can we not do anything to preserve this enormous amount of water?
We have to create storage structures throughout the country. I suggest we build multiple dams along all the dried out rivers and canals in the country to harvest rainwater. Similarly, we have to create planned water bodies out of the existing ponds, dighies, beels and haors, We may even have to dig ponds within agricultural lands that have no access to water.
Let us not depend on the mercy of other countries for our water needs. The skies give us more than sufficient water. Nature's bounty is there all around us. Do we have eyes to see and will to use them for our survival?
Brig Gen QM Shahjahan Hafiz, By e-mail
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