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25 Aug 2022 10:54 pm
The Joint Rivers Commission has not been much effective in resolving the issues of water sharing of transboundary rivers due to a lack of commitment from India and also for Bangladesh's technical incapacity to be persuasive.
And this has been affecting the ecology, environment and livelihoods of millions in Bangladesh.
Even though the neighbours share 54 rivers, and the JRC has been working since 1972, only one water-sharing deal – the Ganges -- was signed, and that too, two and a half decades ago. That treaty is set to expire in 2026.
The water ministers of the two countries have so far met 37 times and there have been many meetings of secretaries and technical committees. Yet, the JRC has very little to show for.
The JRC has now become a consultation platform and it does not have any executive power. It cannot take charge. It can only recommend and execute what the governments of the two countries decide, said Prof Shahab Enam Khan of international relations at Jahangirnagar University.
The discussions at the JRC meetings are not made public and the so-called decisions made there do not always reflect the people's desires. "If we want to make the JRC successful, the information provided to the JRC has to be made public," said the professor.
Water sharing between Bangladesh and India is more of a political issue than a technical one. "Hence, we need to enhance the capacity of our bureaucrats and technical experts to deal with hydro diplomacy and hydro politics," he said.
Activists and environmentalists alleged that India had built dams unilaterally on almost all transboundary rivers and has diverted water without Bangladesh's consent. Also Check High School Football Live
Sharif Jamil, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa), said the JRC was an ineffective platform. Delegates of the JRC were supposed to sit twice a year to solve issues but they do not do so.
And this has been affecting the ecology, environment and livelihoods of millions in Bangladesh.
Even though the neighbours share 54 rivers, and the JRC has been working since 1972, only one water-sharing deal – the Ganges -- was signed, and that too, two and a half decades ago. That treaty is set to expire in 2026.
The water ministers of the two countries have so far met 37 times and there have been many meetings of secretaries and technical committees. Yet, the JRC has very little to show for.
The JRC has now become a consultation platform and it does not have any executive power. It cannot take charge. It can only recommend and execute what the governments of the two countries decide, said Prof Shahab Enam Khan of international relations at Jahangirnagar University.
The discussions at the JRC meetings are not made public and the so-called decisions made there do not always reflect the people's desires. "If we want to make the JRC successful, the information provided to the JRC has to be made public," said the professor.
Water sharing between Bangladesh and India is more of a political issue than a technical one. "Hence, we need to enhance the capacity of our bureaucrats and technical experts to deal with hydro diplomacy and hydro politics," he said.
Activists and environmentalists alleged that India had built dams unilaterally on almost all transboundary rivers and has diverted water without Bangladesh's consent. Also Check High School Football Live
Sharif Jamil, general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa), said the JRC was an ineffective platform. Delegates of the JRC were supposed to sit twice a year to solve issues but they do not do so.
1 topic • Page 1 of 1