Bangladesh will have to totally depend on India for all its water resources coming from that country after 2020 when India will complete its river linking project, speakers said at a seminar here on Monday.(UNB)

Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) organised the seminar on 'Water Security' at the CIRDAP auditorium with BIPSS president Maj Gen (retd) Muniruzzaman in the chair.

Three papers were presented at the seminar. These were by Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, on 'Water security in the context of climate change in Bangladesh:

Decision making at different levels', Mahfuz Ullah, Regional Councilor of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and secretary general of Centre for Sustainable Development, on 'Water security: Politico-Economic Considerations' and Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury on 'Impacts of Indian river linking projects on water security of Bangladesh'.

Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury in his paper said that after 2020 Bangladesh would have to be dependent on India for having water from the rivers that come from India.

He said friendship will not work to prevent India from going ahead with its river linking project as the friendship did not work in 1972 when India constructed the Farakka Barrage even though the friendship with India then was much stronger than now. In order to finding a way to stop India from implementing its river linking project, which will destroy Bangladesh's environment, he said that Bangladesh would have to raise the issue at every multilateral forum.

"We have to put it in the United Nations, we have to put it in all international forums to stop India's river lining project," said Col. (retd) Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury.

Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, put emphasis on building a national consensus beyond the party politics.

He said that as the issue is related with the fate of the whole nation, the political parties would have to come forward on this particular issue, rising above party politics.

Dr Atiq Rahman also emphasized on building capacity of the people concerned with the crucial issue