‘Room for cooperation on Teesta River water sharing still opens’,

There is still room for cooperation on Teesta River water sharing and it cannot be a zero sum or a one-sided game, speakers said at a conference on Teesta River on Saturday.

The solution should be based on the human and nature-based perspective, they added.

Speakers said these on the last day of the virtual ‘7th International Water Conference’ titled ‘Teesta River Basin: Overcoming the Challenges’, organised by ActionAid Bangladesh. 

“There is still room for cooperation on Teesta River water sharing. It is time to come out from an engineering perspective in river water governance,” said Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, Dhaka University.

Farah Kabir, country director, ActionAid Bangladesh, said people live with rivers, but they were not included in river related discourse.

The idea for establishing a Water Museum in Kalapara, Patuakhali came from the inclusion of community people in the discourse and the first ever community-based Water Museum in South Asia was established in 2014 by ActionAid Bangladesh, she mentioned. 

The Water Museum now has become a hub for idea generation, voice of river-based grassroots people, educational platform, and networking with global water museums, she added.

Special Guest Dr Eriberto Eulisse, executive director, The Global Network of Water Museums, said Teesta River is a symbol of changes like other rivers. Cooperation and good practices are needed to resolve any kind of water related resources dispute.

Shahidul Haque, professorial fellow, NSU, and former foreign secretary of Bangladesh said, “More interaction is needed between the international stakeholders, people and the political leaders.”

He urged change of mindset and framing of policy from a broader people centric frame rather than government centric frame.

Rahima Sultana Kajal, executive director, Association of Voluntary Actions for Society (AVAS), said, river-centric civilisation is being jeopardised as a result of obstructing the flow of rivers. 

“Due to the so-called development, river water is not being distributed evenly which has resulted in shortages of usable water. The existing laws on river water usage are not being properly enforced,” Kajal added.

Dr Shashwata Bhattacharjee, head, Bangla Department Kaunia College said, if the river dies, the community people's life centred on the river also die.

Ajaya Dixit, advisor, ISET-Nepal; Dr Sara Ahmed, adjunct professor, Center for Water Research, IISER-Pune (Indian Institute for Science Education and Research), Founder-Director, Living Waters Museum, Shamim Arfeen, executive director, AOSED, also discussed on the last day of the water conference. 

[email protected]