Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) President Prof Muzaffer Ahmad yesterday called on the government “not to kill people” by allowing India to build Tipaimukh dam and thus cause a drought in Bangladesh.
He said the Tipaimukh dam is not an issue to be used politically, and called on everyone to stand united against the dam to save the country from “turning into a stretch of desert.”
Speaking at a seminar on Tipaimukh Dam at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday morning, Prof Muzaffer also said lawmakers and ministers should step down if they fail to stop India from constructing the dam.
The ecological balance of the country would be further threatened and water resources destroyed if the dam is built, he said.
Prof Muzaffer criticised the government and NGOs for remaining silent on the issue. He also questioned why international organisations could not be approached for help since India’s proposed dam project is in breach of several international treaties.
The environmentalist expressed doubt about patriotism claimed by lawmakers and ministers who were advocating for Tipaimukh dam though it was against national interests.
He called on the prime minister to protect the country from the catastrophes that this dam would bring.
Assistant Professor of Chittagong University Geography Department Kazi M Barkat Ali presented the keynote paper at the seminar, organised by `Movement to Protect Surma-Kushiara-Meghna’, a citizens’ forum.
Former secretary Mohammad Asaf Uddowlah said if an upstream country wishes to build a dam on a river, it needs to take consent from the downstream nations, which India is not doing.
The Tipaimukh dam would be catastrophic, he said.
Retired BDR chief Maj Gen ALM Fazlur Rahman, former secretary Mohammad Asaf Uddowlah, Engr Dr SI Khan and Prof Dr Mahbub Ullah, among others, addressed the seminar. Convener of the forum Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury was in the chair.
Categories: Bangla, Bangladesh, Bangladesh News, Bangladesh Politics, Daily Bangladesh News, News, Politics
