Experts call for basin-wide regional management of rivers originating from Himalayas
Experts at a workshop on Monday called for basin-wide regional management of Himalayan rivers for benefit of the people of the countries through which they pass through.
The Workshop Steering Committee under the sponsorship of IFC, New York organized the day-long international workshop on Sustainable Management of Himalayan Rivers at CIRDAP.The workshop focused on the scarcity of fresh water faced by the people in the region.
Foreign experts Dr Sudhirenda Sharma and Ramananda Wangkheirakpam from India, Dr Upendra Gautam from Nepal, Arshad Abbasi and Dr Shaheen from Pakistan and Dr Monirul Quader Mirza and local experts Dr SI Khan, Prof Jahiruddin Chowdhury, Prof Asif Nazrul, Farhad Mazhar and Syeda Rizwana Hasan, among others, took part in the workshop.The scarcity was exacerbated by the unsustainable development of water resources leading to deaths of rivers, said experts.
In a message sent to the workshop, State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Hahmud hoped the workshop would help find an approach which is acceptable to all to save rivers, because the deaths of the rivers have caused not only environmental degradation, but also loss of livelihood and forced people to migrate.
He said it is extremely urgent for the people of all the countries dependent on the rivers flowing down the Himalayans to put their hands together and work out ways to sustainable management of these precious resources.
Representatives from a number of foreign diplomatic missions including USA, China, Pakistan and Canada took part in the workshop and called for looking at the flow of rivers not only from the representative of only water users but also from the perspective of the rivers themselves.
http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-46596
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