Indian river-linking plan to intensify water crisis in Bangladesh: Bhuiyan

Expressing his deep concern, the LGRD minister said, "If India deprives Bangladesh of its rights to the just share of transboundary water defying international laws by implementing its river-linking project, the water problem in Bangladesh will take a serious turn."

Inaugurating a daylong national seminar on "Mitigation of arsenic problem through Rural Development Academy (RDA) -- developed multipurpose low-cost deep tubewell water (DTW)," he said the country is facing scarcity of safe-drinking water due to the Farakka Barrage and unplanned use of groundwater.

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Bhuiyan said over 35 million people are affected by arsenic contamination. The contamination of water is creating several complex diseases including skin infection, skin cancer, blindness and physical disability, he added.

Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Hedayetul Islam Chowdhury chaired the seminar, organised jointly by the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division and the Rural Development Academy (RDA), Bogra, at the CIRDAP auditorium here.

RDA Director General SM Zahurul Islam and Bangladesh Agriculture University Professor Dr LR Khan also addressed the seminar.

Experts on water resources management, government officials concerned, and representatives of institutions working on water management and non-government organisations participated in the seminar.

Bhuiyan said 70 per cent water for irrigation is being used from groundwater while 97 per cent for drinking water.

He said the government is pledge-bound to strengthen rural economy as it would ultimately boost the overall economy of the country.

Describing the supply of safe-drinking water as one of the major components for strengthening the rural economy, he expressed hope that the newly-developed technology of the RDA would help increase water management.

Joint Director (Irrigation Engineering) of the RDA M A Matin presented the keynote paper.

Objectives of the seminar were to introduce the RDA developed low-cost deep tubewell (DTW) and the safe-drinking water supply model, and their multiple uses in the rural areas.

M A Matin said installation cost of the low-cost DTW will be minimum and it will help ensure supply of fresh water.

"The newly-developed DTW has got the superiority over the traditional DTW in respect of cost and amount of water supply on regular basis," he added.