| Govt's Tipaimukh handling slated
Environmentalists and academics yesterday called for a greater movement at national and international levels to resist what they said 'India's conspiracy' to construct Tipaimukh dam without sharing information with Bangladesh.
They also slammed the government's role in dealing with India about water issues. India has neither ensured water flow in the Ganges as per the Ganges Treaty nor shared information about Tipaimukh Dam, which is sheer violation of the treaty, they said.
"India is maintaining top secrecy about the dam, because it is a conspiracy. It knows that people in Bangladesh or India to be affected by the proposed dam will protest against the construction if they have got the actual information about the dam," said Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury at a dialogue.
Samaj Rupantor Oddhayan Kendro [study centre], a socio-political think tank, organised the dialogue titled "Tipaimukh Dam and our role to protect national interests" at the National Press Club.
Prof Choudhury said the dam, if constructed, will affect wetlands and agriculture in the country's northeastern part and hamper water flow of Meghna river.
"We cannot depend on our government because it serves the purpose of vested quarters instead of serving the interests of people. So our role is to wage movement against the construction of the dam at all levels," said the professor, also the president of the study centre.
Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh, said Tipaimukh Dam will seriously affect the lives and livelihoods of the country's northeastern region that depends on the water flows of Kushiara and Surma rivers.
He said any effort to construct dam or barrage in the upper stream must be resisted.
Regarding the visit of a parliamentary delegation to Tipaimukh, the leftist leader said mere visit would not work. "We need concrete information--how much water would be contained and how much would be released and how the dam will impact on us."
Engineer Sheikh Shahidullah termed maintaining secrecy by India about the dam a crime that cannot be forgiven. "We cannot believe India because of its past records."
Constructing Tipaimukh dam for hydroelectric power plant also brings huge threats of earthquake for the region, he said adding that historical evidences suggest Tipaimukh was the source of huge earthquakes.
Jahangirnagar University Professor Anu Muhammad said the damages that Tipaimukh dam will cause couldn't be compensated with the money equal to 10 times of the country's budget.
Criticising Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty's comment about the country's experts, he said he must clarify what he said in public.
Zunaid Saki, a board member of the study centre, in his keynote presentation said India is also constructing a barrage at Fulertala, up from Tipaimukh, to withdraw water flow. The barrage is linked to India's river-linking project.
"So Tipaimukh dam will not affect the water flow is a lie," he said, adding the dam project will cause drought during dry season and heavy flood during rainy season.
Engineer Enamul Haque, Workers' Party leader Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Prof Ahmed Kamal and Prof Pias Karim also spoke. | |