Govt to start evaluation of rivers, other natural resources

The government has taken an initiative to do natural resources accounting to practically make the most of them in a sustainable way, said Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on environment ministry. 

He made the revelation at the closing session of the three-day 8th International Water Conference on Wednesday in Sylhet district.

"While the whole concept of recognising a river as a living entity is appreciable, to transform policies and actions we need to now identify how to evaluate rivers and natural resources. Otherwise, these services and resources will continue to be taken for granted," he noted.

He also said government teams would visit the Patuakhali Water Museum to upgrade and develop it as an interactive and engaging platform for people to know about water and rivers.

He also said, the link between water and governance needs to be emphasised everywhere and as the country graduates into a developing country, water governance will continue to become a crucial component.

Photo: Courtesy

In the closing ceremony, participants from India and Bangladesh proposed to initiate nature clubs in educational institutions and to include lessons on natural resources, including rivers, for engaging young people from the very beginning of their lives.

Furthermore, as a way forward following the conference, the closing sessions emphasised the need for youth engagement for preserving rivers. Separate youth platforms for every river of the country were proposed to assist the activities of riverkeepers. The youth groups could help develop a river map database by using photos and GPS before the next water conference. Moreover, usage of multilingual web news platforms as a type of macromedia intervention was suggested to improve public involvement, awareness, advocacy and transboundary dialogues.

The conference emphasised on five areas- water history, morphology and changes; river as a living entity and anthropogenic impacts on water and river; youth engagement in water and river rights; transboundary river and water politics as well as innovation for water, ecosystem and sustainable livelihoods.

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen inaugurated the conference on Monday through a video message. He said, "fishing, farming, and industries all thrive on the water that makes our country the largest delta in the world with over 820 rives. However, we are faced with the harsh reality of climate change leading to increased river erosion, salinity intrusion, and other related phenomena. It has become an existential issue for us to understand better and address the issues concerning the water ecosystem through concerted actions, preferably via nature-based solutions. We believe sound water management can be an important factor for regional peace and solidarity".

Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed from Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, said, "As we conclude the 8th International Water Conference, I believe these conferences have helped us to progress in the right direction, particularly in making people across the country and South-Asia region to think about water. This year, as we focus on the importance of engaging youth in ensuring river rights, policymakers should also think how to mobilise student associations of the country to advocate for issues like rivers and environment, besides their usual involvement in politics. In addition, this regional conference opened a doorway to investigating commonalities among water and rivers of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China. We can look into the urban rivers and their pollution in each of these countries and create a transboundary platform for dialogue to share best practices, away from all forms of river politics of geopolitical challenges."

Dr Manjur Ahmed Chowdhury, chairman, National River Conservation Commission, said that in 2019 a landmark verdict was given by the high court of Bangladesh acknowledging Turag river as a living being. He also said that the river commission has taken an initiative to develop a framework on properly identifying all rivers in Bangladesh so that these are counted properly and protected.

ActionAid Bangladesh's Country Director Farah Kabir said, "Rivers have an influence on our lives and livelihood. But, now a days, rivers are being encroached and polluted. Rivers are shrinking in size as well. Rivers have existence and life. Changing its course forcibly threatens the nature and humankind. Rivers should be allowed to flow naturally."

"The multiple sessions of the conference created a space for sharing insights and best practices. This year we emphasised the importance of youth participation while keeping the main focus on river and water as a part of our dreams, culture and lives and livelihoods." she added.