DHAKA, 20 September 2005 — Scores of protesters shouted slogans and held placards as Bangladesh and India began talks here yesterday on water sharing.
Opponents of New Delhi’s controversial river-linking project staged protests. They warned of environmental disaster if a plan to divert water for Indian irrigation and electricity projects from rivers the flow downstream into Bangladesh is implemented.
Opponents believe the project would cause rivers in Bangladesh to dry up, affecting the country’s ecology and depriving farmers of much needed water for crops.
Water is vital for the nation’s agricultural-based economy and has been a key issue between the countries for decades.
Indian Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Hafizuddin Ahmad will discuss the sharing of water from seven common rivers during two days of talks, officials said.
“We want to send a message to the Indian water minister that the river-linking project will destroy Bangladesh’s ecology and economy,” said Abdul Matin, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Environment Movement which organized the protest.
“We want an effective joint river commission between the two countries so that India is aware of Bangladesh’s concern,” he added.
In an interview with the official BSS news agency, Dasmunshi tried to reassure opponents of the scheme, saying their concern was “uncalled for”.
Dasmunshi, who arrived in Dhaka Sunday night, is leading a 13-member delegation to the 36th meeting of the two countries that share 53 rivers. Dasmunshi’s counterpart Hafiz Uddin Ahmed is heading a 14-member team at the meeting.
India would not carry out any project that adversely affected its neighbor, he added.
In summer Bangladesh is frequently flooded by monsoon rains and melted snow from the Himalayas. During the dry season, however, it suffers from water shortages.
