Greater unity needed to resist construction of Tipai Dam

Speakers stress at Roundtable discussion in city
Underlining the importance of conducting a joint impact assessment on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam by the two neighbouring countries, speakers at a roundtable here Saturday said a national consensus is needed to resist India from constructing the dam.
“Let’s get united… the matter should be discussed in parliament,” former secretary M Asafuddowlah told the roundtable urging the opposition to join the next session of parliament.
Centre for Human Rights organized the roundtable at a city hotel. Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Barrister Abdur Razzaq moderated the discussion.
Asafuddowlah strongly criticized the government for its reluctance about the Tipaimukh Dam and said it was not understandable to him why the present government was so silent.
“Is this part of their gratitude to India for bringing them to power or gratitude for helping us during the Liberation War?” he questioned. “Given the track record of India, there is no reason to believe them.” Asafuddowlah asked the opposition to join the next session of parliament and raise their voice so that India could realize the whole nation is against the construction of Tipaimukh Dam.
Professor Muzaffer Ahmed stressed the need for forging a national consensus and stronger diplomacy regarding the matter.
He said the Indian government violated various international laws and treaties, as they moved ahead with its plan to construct the Tipaimukh Dam.
Vice-president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) Dr Afsarul Quadir and Head of Sociology department of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Professor Kamal Ahmed also urged the opposition to join Parliament to discuss the Tipaimukh issue. Director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Rouf Chowdhury said Bangladesh’s week foreign policy has prompted India to undertake a project like Tipaimukh Dam. “All governments after 1997 are responsible for the Indian plan to construct such a dam.”
Former Professor of Dhaka University Dr Sajjadur Rasheed emphasized the need for a joint impact assessment by India and Bangladesh about the Tipaimukh Dam. “With this, we’ll be able to know who will gain how much and who is losing how much,” he told the roundtable.
He also suggested the government to go for a third party mediation regarding the Tipaimukh issue.
Dr SI Khan, a former environment management planner of the United Nations, said the Meghna River will lose its navigability by 5 meters if the Tipaimukh dam is constructed. “Thirty percent of Bangladesh will turn into a desert in 30 years if the dam is constructed,” he said.

Courtesy of UNB, Dhaka