Rizwana for strengthening regional cooperation on water governance in South Asia

Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today (5 December) called for strengthening regional cooperation on water governance in South Asia, stressing water justice, river rights, disaster preparedness, and equitable benefit sharing among countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

She made the call while speaking virtually from Dhaka at the Sub-regional Workshop on Water and Climate Resilience in the HK: Advancing SDG 2030 Agenda through Science and Cooperation, held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Rizwana highlighted that although water has historically connected countries, it remains the least managed shared resource in South Asia.

She urged regional countries to strengthen cooperation under the UN Water Convention, noting that Bangladesh is already a party to it and stands ready to collaborate on critical issues such as disaster management, data sharing, and equitable distribution of shared rivers.

"This convention can facilitate regional preparedness through improved early warning systems and help countries uphold water justice at a time when climate change is magnifying hydrological challenges," she said.

The adviser stressed that upstream–downstream interdependence is now more evident than ever. "What happens to rivers in Nepal, Bhutan or India inevitably impacts Bangladesh, as 90% of our rivers originate upstream."

"Floods, droughts, sedimentation, salinity intrusion, cyclones and river erosion are no longer national issues — they are regional phenomena shaped by cross-border hydrology," she added.

Rizwana said that despite existing policies, enforceable environmental laws, and flood management institutions across many countries, gaps in implementation remain a major barrier. She expressed concern over outdated structural interventions built decades ago that have harmed river ecosystems.

"Some embankments and flood-control structures built in the 1960s — without consideration of ecological impacts — have caused irreversible damage. We must revisit these interventions to protect rivers as living systems," she observed.

Highlighting water pollution as a major regional threat, she noted that industrial effluents, illegal encroachment, mining, and unplanned development continue to degrade river systems.

She also referred to ongoing efforts in Bangladesh to restore major rivers and appreciated similar initiatives undertaken in Nepal.

The adviser called for recognising rivers as living entities whose rights must be protected. "Our rivers are not only sources of irrigation, navigation or power generation — they sustain life and ecosystems. Several judicial decisions in Bangladesh and India have already declared rivers as living entities. This must translate into stronger accountability for state agencies responsible for their protection," she said.

Rizwana added that shared hydropower opportunities can drive a new era of cooperation. Recalling the recent agreement between Bangladesh and Nepal on hydropower supply, she said regional energy trade must advance on the basis of mutual trust, openness, and environmental responsibility.

"Electricity generated upstream can support climate mitigation goals across the region if we ensure a cooperative framework rooted in trust — not suspicion," she noted.

Dr Kalyan Rudra, Chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board; Dr Debolina Kundu and Arvind Kumar from India; Sanjeeb Baral from Nepal; Pema Thinley from Bhutan; Dr Md Abdul Hossen from Bangladesh; and YouthNet Global Executive Coordinator Sohanur Rahman also spoke at the event.

The meeting brought together policymakers and practitioners from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.