Politicians, academics and professionals have called on the government to approach relevant international forums, if it fails to secure just share of water of the common rivers for Bangladesh through bilateral discussions.
They came up with the call on Saturday at an exchange-of-views programme held at the National Press Club in Dhaka city.
Samaj Chinta Forum organised the event at which Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Hafizuddin Ahmed, also former water resources minister, said that the successive Indian governments were not sincere in allowing Bangladesh to have its just share of the water of the 54 trans-boundary rivers.
鈥榃e should resolve the water sharing issue through bilateral discussion, and if necessary, we must go to international forums to get our just share of water,鈥� said Hafizuddin.
Former Jahangirnagar University professor economist Anu Muhammad said that successive governments in India blocked water flow of different common rivers by building barrages, causing harm to Bangladesh.
He said that the interim government did not take any step to stop the Indian harmful projects in Bangladesh like the Rampal coal-based power plant.
Water resources technology expert and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology professor Mohammad Mostafa Ali read out the keynote paper.
鈥極ur government should take integrated programmes to get its just share of water from the common rivers,鈥� he stressed.
Chaired by Samaj Chinta Forum convener Kamal Hossain Badal, researcher BD Rahmatullah, politicians Saiful Huq, Abdus Satter, cultural activist Jamsed Anwar Tapan, among others, spoke at the event.
