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Residents of Feni on Wednesday formed a human chain, demanding international accountability and equitable sharing of transboundary rivers, alongside compensation from the Loss and Damage Fund for the devastating floods that have ravaged their district and other parts of Bangladesh.
The human chain, organised under the banner “We are Feni Residents,” took place in front of the Feni Polytechnic Institute, with participants standing in knee-deep floodwaters.
The demonstrators called for international legal action against the responsible state and urged the United Nations to facilitate compensation for the widespread destruction caused by the floods.
Protesters held placards, demanding the demolition of upstream dams, equitable water distribution, and justice for those affected by the floods.
They also called for Bangladesh to urgently sign the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, a critical move to protect the country’s rights in managing shared water resources and to strengthen its legal position in negotiations with neighbouring countries.
Environmental organisations, including the Bangladesh Nature Conservation Alliance (BNCA), Bangladesh Environmental Movement (BAPA), and YouthNet for Climate Justice, supported this event.
Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, convener of the Bangladesh Nature Conservation Alliance (BNCA) and Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stamford University Bangladesh, stressed the unprecedented scale of the disaster.
“This is the worst flood Feni has seen in a century,” he said. “The loss is staggering, with over 64,000 livestock dead and damages in the livestock sector alone nearing Tk 4 billion.”
He also pointed fingers at the upstream country for its failure to follow international water laws. “This is a clear violation that led to preventable deaths and destruction. We need this addressed in an international court,” Dr Majumder said.
Environmental journalist Kafayet Shakil, who witnessed the devastation firsthand, described the scene as harrowing. “The water has reached the second floors of buildings, leaving an entire region in ruins,” Shakil reported. “The economic damage is beyond measure.”
SZ Apu, Event and Program Coordinator of YouthNet for Climate Justice, called out developed nations for their role in exacerbating climate disasters. “We are already suffering from the impacts of climate change driven by developed countries, and now our neighbour is adding to the catastrophe by releasing dam water without warning,” Apu said.
“This was not a natural disaster—it was a failure of transborder river management. Rivers should flow naturally, and all destructive dams must be dismantled.”
Apu also emphasised the need for global action, urging, “The international community must apply pressure to secure compensation from the wealthy nations responsible for climate change. It’s time for strong diplomatic efforts to ensure justice for the flood-affected communities in Bangladesh.”