Indian plan
The Indian government seems to be determined to go ahead with the mammoth national river linking project (NRLP) to link 14 Himalayan rivers in the north and 16 peninsular rivers in the south of India without consulting co-riparian nations, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. This displays total disregard for international norms and treaties by India. They also appear to be indifferent to the disastrous consequences of the project on the northern and north-eastern states of India. Experts opine that connecting the peninsular rivers to the Himalayan rivers would alter the natural drainage system of the entire region with severe adverse consequences. The proposed 40,000 km long inland waterways will also cause massive human displacement. India's well known environmentalist Dr. Vandana Shiva thinks that no serious study has been done on the river linking project. The project has the potential to cause irreparable ecological and environmental damage including loss of biodiversity and wildlife and may also trigger seismic tremors.
This unilateral inter-basin transfer of water from transnational rivers flowing from Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan into Bangladesh through India would affect the natural discharge of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system. Diverting water from the natural courses of so many great rivers is bound to have serious environmental impact on the regions as a whole.
This project needs to be halted immediately and all co-riparian nations (China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh) should be consulted for a proper management of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
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