'Indian river project to destroy agriculture, bio-diversity in Bangladesh'
UNB, Dhaka
State Minister for Environment and Forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury cautioned that Bangladesh's agriculture, pisciculture, river navigation and bio-diversity would be damaged if India diverts the water of the common rivers of the two countries at the upstream.Bangladesh's existence would be at stake if the 200 billion-dollar scheme, taken up by India to divert the water of the common rivers at the upstream, is implemented, he said. The state minister was speaking at the sixth meeting of the member countries of UN Desertification Resistance Convention in Cuba on Wednesday, said a message received in the city yesterday. He called on the international community including international organisations to come forward to help and support the affected countries, including Bangladesh, in dissuading India from implementing the project. About 74,000 square km areas of Bangladesh's north-western and southwester region are facing desertification due to water scarcity as India withdraws the water of the Padma river through the Farakka barrage, he said. Owing to sweet water paucity in the rivers, Jafrul said, saline water enters the total coastal areas of southern Bangladesh, including largest mangrove forest Sundarbans, endangering the existence of the areas. Delegates from many countries including Mozambique, Bahrain, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Zambia, Angola, Timor, China, Ghana and Pakistan attended the convention.
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