India urged to keep Bangladesh in mind before diverting river water to drought-hit places

State Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Nazrul Islam has said India must think of the people of Bangladesh just as it is concerned about its own drought-stricken citizens.

He told bdnews24.com on Monday: “India is giving a lot of importance to its own people hit by drought...but it must not ignore our rights. I don’t expect India to do that either.”

The Indian government is seriously considering diverting water from the Ganges and the Brahmputra rivers to drought-affected places. 

The Bangladesh minister said India has been toying with the idea for long and Bangladesh has been expressing worries.

“We have expressed our concerns. We have asked India to clearly explain how this is going to be done.

“We will ask for data pertaining to our fair share of water. Fifty-four of 56 Indian rivers flow through Bangladesh. So efforts to extract water upstream in India or divert river courses will be cause for worry for us,” Nazrul Islam said.

State Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Nazrul Islam

However, the state minister said he would like to keep faith in the assurances given by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Dhaka visit that nothing would be done that could harm Bangladesh’s interests.

International rules protect the rights of people living downstream of trans-boundary rivers, he pointed out.

Nazrul Islam said Bangladesh would persist with its efforts and explore all avenues to get its fair share of river water.