Cancel river-link project

Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) stages a demonstration in the city yesterday protesting Indian River Linking Project. PHOTO: STAR

The project, once implemented, will seriously affect the life and livelihood of the people not only in Bangladesh but also in nine Indian states, they added.

"It is an unrealistic and shortsighted project," said noted economist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad at the rally organised by the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon near the Sonargaon Hotel, where a meeting of the Indo-Bangla Joint River Commission (JRC) was going on.

"The project to divert water from cross-border rivers is unethical, against international conventions and damaging for Indo-Bangla relations," said Prof Ahmed, also the president of Bapa.

India should not undertake such project on the basis of mere technical feasibility, he said, adding that its impact on the people, ecology and economy must be taken into consideration.

India must review the project in an open dialogue and exchange information about it in the light of the Ganges treaty, other bilateral treaties and international conventions, Prof Ahmed said, laying emphasis on regular JRC meeting.

"We are grateful that India helped us during the War of Liberation, but we have every right to protect our sovereignty, ecology and economy from the deadly impact of the Indian project," said Mihir Biswas, joint secretary of Bapa.

In the face of protests against the project, India has always shown two excuses that the project is at the conceptual stage and that it would not do anything without consultation with the neighbours, said Zakir Hossain.

But India is not making any information public though it is going ahead with the river linking project, he added.

Whatever steps India has taken regarding the project without any consultation with Bangladesh are in violation of international laws on rivers and environment, said Dr Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University.

Former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Prof Kazi Saleh Ahmed, architect Iqbal Habib and Dr Nuruddin also spoke.

Representatives from the Coalition for the Urban Poor, Green Voice, Peace, Sheba, The Hunger Project and Old Dhaka Environment Improvement Forum joined the protest.