No effective govt action to stop river destruction: Anu Muhammad
Reflecting on the interim government, Anu said expectations for river management reforms remain unfulfilled. “A river reform committee could have been formed right away. Signing the UN’s 1996 International Convention would have been another easy step,” he noted.
Professor Anu Muhammad, a member of Gonotantrik Odhikar Committee, has accused the previous governments of failing to take effective measures to protect Bangladesh's rivers, despite widespread destruction caused by both external and internal factors.
Speaking at a discussion titled "Transboundary Rivers" organised by Nongor Trust at the National Press Club today (26 September), the economist said, "River crises stem from three major causes — India's unilateral actions, so-called development projects in Bangladesh that destroy rivers, and illegal occupation by powerful groups."
"While there is unity when it comes to grabbing and polluting rivers, there is no such unity when it comes to saving them," he added.
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Anu Muhammad also criticised the weakness of the Joint Rivers Commission and governments' overreliance on international agencies. "Even the Delta Plan is being designed by a group from the Netherlands."
He further said, "Many prominent figures in India have opposed the Farakka barrage. Now there are even calls in India to dismantle it. That is why it is essential to build connections with India's civil society."
Reflecting on the interim government, Anu said expectations for river management reforms remain unfulfilled. "A river reform committee could have been formed right away. Signing the UN's 1996 International Convention would have been another easy step," he noted.
Nongor Trust Chairman Shuman Shams, who presided over the event, called for declaring 23 May as National River Day and establishing a separate Ministry of River Resources to ensure coordinated and effective management.
