Commission on transboundary rivers proposed at IUCN meet

This was stated on the concluding day of the Asian Regional Conservation Forum yesterday, organised by the IUCN-The World Conservation Union in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo.

Responding to the assertion of former Indian minister and Chairman of Task Force on Inter-linking of Rivers Dr Suresh Prabhu that India would not violate any international law on sharing of waters, Bangladesh delegation member and CARDMA President Hasna Moudud said what right India has to transfer water of international rivers from its natural system.

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Dr Suresh Prabhu in his address highlighted water scarcity in the South Indian region and described the necessity of river-linking project to transfer water from the Brahmaputra to augment the water flow in Tamil Nadu.

Taking the floor, Hasna Moudud said an international organisation like IUCN should not be used as a platform for India's propagation of withdrawing water from transboundary rivers that would cause ecological disaster and human dislocation.

She further said India cannot unilaterally withdraw water from the Brahmaputra to augment the water flow in Tamil Nadu at the cost of Bangladesh.

She proposed setting up a water management commission on three major river systems -- the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna -- with representatives from co-riparian India, Nepal, Bhutan and China.

Setting up such a commission is necessary to determine transboundary water sharing in a just and equitable basis, Hasna Moudud said.

She said sharing of water of transboundary rivers should be addressed to ensure water rights and protect the eco-system of lower riparian countries.

River-dependant eco-systems and river basin protection, including drainage, are important issues and those should be taken into consideration for a sound regional cooperation, she added.