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LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan Wednesday called upon all to come forward to reach a national consensus to solve the water sharing issues with India through discussions, reports BSS.
The political parties should raise their voice unitedly to protect the national interest, he said.
Mannan Bhuiyan added: There may be differences of opinion in a democracy, but in the perspective of the proposed Indian International River Linking Project on the Brahmaputra river, Tipaimukh Dam Project at the upstream of the Meghna river and the Ganges water-sharing problem, the leadership should be united.
About fifty-four international rivers flow through India and Bangladesh.
The minister was inaugurating a two-day international conference on "Upstream Water Diversion: Disaster for Bangladesh", organised by the International Farakka Committee (IFC) in the auditorium of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
State Minister for Water Resources Advocate Goutam Chakraborty, Awami League Presidium Member Abdur Razzak, MP, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Workers Party leader Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Convenor of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal Khalequzzaman, Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua addressed the conference with IFC Chairman Atiqur RK Eusufzai in the chair.
Terming the water sharing issue as a man-made problem, Mannan Bhuiyan said the country is being deprived of water of the international rivers due to wilful withdrawal of water.
He said India has erected 35 more dams and barrages after the construction of the Farakka Barrage on the mighty Ganges river without prior discussions with Bangladesh and their latest project is Tipaimukh dam.
Things change but neighbours remain unchanged as a rule of nature, he said and added both Bangladesh and India should solve water sharing problems of the international rivers on the table of discussion.
Referring to the successful historic "Farakka Long March" led by Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, the LGRD minister said the people of all strata participated in that long march irrespective of opinion.
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