Environmentalists decry India's river-linking project
Source: Copyright 2004, Associated Press
Date: August 24, 2004
Byline: Julhas Alam, Associated Press
DHAKA, Bangladesh — A proposed Indian plan to divert water from some South Asian rivers would turn parts of neighboring Bangladesh into desert and cause unseasonal flooding in Nepal, a regional meeting was told recently.
India wants to divert water from 37 rivers to its drought-prone areas by building reservoirs, dams, and canals. But Bangladesh officials object to the plan, saying it would reduce water levels in this South Asian delta nation and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people.
"We are very much concerned" about the project, Bangladesh foreign ministry official Reaz Rahman told a meeting of environmentalists and experts from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Most of Bangladesh's 250 rivers originate from the Himalayas, traveling through Nepal and India before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Environmentalists warned the plan to divert water to India could turn parts of Bangladesh into desert, damaging the impoverished country's fishing and farming sectors.
"Such diversion will cause a disaster in Bangladesh," said Farhad Mazhar, an activist with the Bangladesh People's Initiative Against the River Linking Project, which organized the meeting.
Dipak Gyawali, a former water resources minister in Nepal, said the project would cause unseasonal flooding in the Himalayan kingdom where most of the rivers flowing through India and Bangladesh originate.
Rahman said India's new government, which took power in May, seemed willing to discuss the issue. Indian officials could not be immediately reached for comment.Copyright 2004, Associated Press
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