River Titas, which is the source of livelihood for many people, is now endangered. In Ashuganj town of the Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh a long diversion road has been hurriedly built through the Titas river and its tributaries and canals obstructing its flow in many parts. Local media reports that it was done to facilitate transhipment of Indian goods on heavy vehicles as the existing roads and bridges are damaged and cannot bear the load of these huge carriers. The netizens are outraged by the developments.

A road through Titas river. Image courtesy Sharat Chowdhury

Here is a picture of the same place taken on 2008.

Mahfuzur Rahman Manik reports [bn]:

সম্প্রতি সামাজিক যোগাযোগের ওয়েবসাইটগুলোয় (ব্লগ, ফেসবুক) একটা ভিডিওর ব্যাপক ছড়াছড়ি। তেমন কিছু নয়, একুশে টিভিতে প্রচারিত সংবাদের ভিডিও। ‘ট্রানজিট’ নিয়ে প্রচারিত তিন পর্বের এক পর্ব। সেখানে উঠে এসেছে আখাউড়া ও ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়ার সংযোগস্থলে তিতাস নদী দ্বিখণ্ডিত হওয়ার করুণ কাহিনী। ভারতকে ট্রানজিট সুবিধা দেয়ার নামে তিতাসের মাঝখানে রাস্তা বানিয়ে কীভাবে তাকে মেরে ফেলা হচ্ছে তার প্রমাণ ভিডিওটি। যারা কখনো তিতাস দেখেননি কিংবা নদী বরাবর কীভাবে রাস্তা বানানো হলো তা দেখার কৌতূহল থেকেও অনেক ইন্টারনেট ব্যবহারকারী এতে ঢুঁ মেরেছেন।

Recently the social networking sites (Blog, Facebook) are flooded with a video. Nothing extra-ordinary, but a a news report on Ekushey TV. Its the first episode of the three part fetaure on “transit”. the video is the proof how a road was built dividing Titas river and killing it in the name of providing transit facility. Many internet users are watching this video, especially those who have never seen Titas or those, who are simply interested to see how a road can be built dividing a river.

একুশে টেলিভিশন প্রচারিত সংবাদটি বলছে, তিতাস নদীর ওপর বাঁধ দেয়ায় চারপাশের লাখ লাখ হেক্টর জমিতে ফসল উত্পাদনের ওপর বিশাল প্রভাব পড়ছে। এ নদীর ওপর নির্ভর করে যারা জীবিকা নির্বাহ করেন, তাদের জীবনে এসেছে অনিশ্চয়তা। বিশেষ করে জেলেদের অবস্থা খারাপ। সেখানকার মানুষ ঘরে ফসল তুলতে পারেন না। হাজার হাজার হেক্টর জমি তলিয়ে গেছে পানিতে। পরিবেশ বিপর্যয় তো রয়েছেই।

The Ekushey TV report divulges that the cultivation in the surrounding thousands of hectares of land has already been effected. Those who depends on this river for their livelihood face an uncertain future. Especially the fate of the fishermen are doomed. Thousands of hectares of cultivated fields have been submerged and many crops are damaged. The environmental damage is enormous.

Blogger Kallol Mostafa went to the site and reported [bn]:

ভারতের ত্রিপুরার পালাটানায় ৭২৬ মেগাওয়াট ক্ষমতার একটি বিদ্যুৎ প্রকল্পের প্রয়োজনীয় ভারী যন্ত্রপাতি ৯৬টি ওভার ডাইমেন্সনাল কার্গো’র (ওডিসি) মাধ্যমে পরিবহনের জন্য ৩০ নভেম্বর ২০১০ এ ভারত ও বাংলাদেশের মধ্যে একটি সমঝোতা স্মারক স্বাক্ষরিত হয়। [..] আশুগঞ্জ বন্দর আর আশুগঞ্জ থেকে আখাউড়া সড়ক পথ ওডিসি পরিবহনের অনুপযুক্ত হওয়ায় বন্দর উন্নয়ন, ৪৯ কিমি রাস্তা মেরামত ও ১৮ মিটার পর্যন্ত প্রশস্ত করার জন্য ভারত এককালীন ২৫.৫০ কোটি টাকা প্রদান করবে বলে ঠিক হয়। [..] এই রাস্তায় তিতাস নদী ও বিভিন্ন খালের উপর যেসব ব্রীজ ও কালভার্ট রয়েছে সেগুলো এত ভারী কার্গোর ভার বহনের সক্ষম নয়। তাই রাস্তা মেরামত ও প্রশস্ত করণের পাশাপাশি ভারতের আসাম বেঙ্গল কেরিয়ার বা এবিসি ইন্ডিয়াকে দ্বায়িত্ব দেয়া হলো ব্রীজ ও কালভার্টগুলোর পাশ দিয়ে “বিকল্প রাস্তা” তৈরী করার।

A memorandum of understanding was signed on November 30, 2011 to provide transit facility to 96 over-dimensional cargoes (ODCs) which will carry heavy machinery for a 726 Megawatt power plant in Trpura, India. [..] It was decided that India will pay 255 million Bangladeshi Taka to upgrade 49 kms of road by making them 18 meter wide. However, the bridges and culverts on these roads are not able to carry the heavy loads of these ODCs. So besides up-gradation of the road, the Asam Bengal Carrier (ABC) company was awarded a contract to build alternative roads besides those bridges and culverts.

A makeshift road near the culvert on a canal of Titas river. Image by Niloy Das. Courtesy Dinmojur Blog

The whole article has been shared many times in social networks. Kallol also shares [bn] his frustrations and anger:

দুনিয়ার আর কোন দেশের শাসক শ্রেণী এইভাবে নিজ দেশের নদী-খালের মাঝখান দিয়ে বাধ নির্মাণ করে আরেক দেশের মালামাল পরিবহনের ব্যবস্থা করেছে বলে আমাদের জানা নাই।

I am not aware of any other country who has diverted its rivers and canals with dams and built roads through them to facilitate transit of goods of a neighboring country.

Some bloggers took an initiative to carry out a visit to the site. A Facebook event [bn] was created.

Kowshik provided [bn] the scope of the visit:

আমাদের রাজনীতি নেই, আমরা রাজনীতি বুঝি না – কিন্তু সব গেলো সব গেলো বলে আহাজারি করতে পারি! সেই আহাজারীর মাত্রা আরেকটু বাড়াতে আগামী ৩০শে ডিসেম্বর তিতাসের খণ্ডিত বুকে গিয়ে জানতে চাই সেখানকার মানুষদের কি মতামত!

We have no political intention, we don’t understand politics but we can cry for our loss. To extend that cry to another level we want to go to the divided Titas and ask for local people’s opinions.

Kowshik also shared frequent updates [bn] of the bloggers’ initiatives.

Here is a three part videocast showing interviews of bloggers and locals:

(Part 1: Featuring Ali Asif Galib [bn])

(Part 2: Featuring Sharat Chowdhury [bn])

(Part 3: Featuring Ali Mahmed [bn])

Blogger Sharat Chowdhury shares his experience [bn] of actually being there:

আমরা দেখি নদীর বুক চিড়ে রাস্তা বানানো হয়েছে। ট্রানজিটের রাস্তা। আমাদের নতজানুতার পথ। এই পথ দেখে আমাদের কষ্ট হয়, ঘৃণা হয়, অবিশ্বাস গাঢ় হয় সরকারের বিবেচনা বোধ আর সদিচ্ছার প্রতি।

We see that roads have been built dividing the river. The roads for transit, the road to our submissiveness. Our heart aches seeing this road, we loath. Our mistrust on the government deepens.

Sharat adds:

এই মুহুর্তে প্রতিবাদ প্রতিরোধ ছাড়া আর কোন পথ নেই। ব্লগাররা কাজ করতে পারেন স্থানীয় অপনিয়ন লিডার হিসেবে। কেবল রাজধানী-কেন্দ্রীক আন্দোলনের বদলে আমরা এমনও দেখতে পারি যে ব্রাম্মণবাড়ীয়া, আশুগঞ্জের ব্লগাররা প্রতিবাদ জানিয়েছেন স্থানীয় প্রশাসনকে। অবহিত করেছেন স্থানীয় মানুষদের। সংগঠিত করেছেন। এটা আমাদের করতেই হবে।

Now we have no options except protesting the road constructions. Not only the capital centric protests, we would like to see that the local bloggers are protesting to the local government. We would like to see them organize locals and making them aware. We have to do it.

Also published in Global Voices Online.

It all started with Tom Heinemann’s documentary “Caught in Micro Debt” which was aired on the 30th of November, 2010 on the Norwegian state Television. This had set off a chain of events which triggered much controversy on microcredit and Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus and resulted in the investigation of operations of Grameen Bank, which he founded.

In a latest development of this saga, the central bank ordered the removal of Yunus (70) on the grounds that he had overstayed as head of Grameen operations violating the law (the retirement age in commercial bank is 60). Dr. Yunus is challenging this in court and thousands of supporters protested across the country against his removal. This has made the headlines of many media.The fingers are pointing towards the government as the earlier reaction of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was a bit too harsh – as she mentioned “in the name of poverty alleviation he (Yunus) is sucking blood from the poor”.

Ireen Sultana at BDNews24 Blog explains:

একজন সরকার প্রধানের মুখ থেকে এ ধরনের বক্তব্য সুষ্পষ্টভবাবে সরকারি অবস্থান এবং মনোভাবকে নির্দেশ করে। আর তাই যতই বলা হোক না কেন গ্রামীণ ব্যাংকের ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক পদ থেকে ডঃ ইউনূসকে অব্যাহতি প্রদানের লিখিত নির্দেশ এসেছে বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক থেকে, দেশি-বিদেশি প্রতিক্রিয়া ব্যক্তকারিরা এটাকে সরকারি সিদ্ধান্ত বলে মনে করছেন।

The popular belief is that Yunus is being seen as a political counterpart because of his failed attempt to join politics in 2007. Ireen Sultana asks:

একজন অ-রাজনৈতিক ব্যক্তিত্ব কি করে একটি রাজনৈতিক দলের প্রতিপক্ষ হয়ে উঠতে পারেন?

Philanthrocapitalism blog comments in a post titled “leave Yunus alone”:

As Grameen points out, it is owned by its 8 million or so borrowers, most of them relatively poor women. It remains to be seen if the voice of these owners will be heard. There is a real danger that what is in effect an attempted takeover by the Bangladesh government will do serious damage to Grameen and the people it helps. While there are certainly examples of for-profit microlenders harming the poor, we think the greater harm to the poor is often done by the politicians who purport to be on their side.

Clearly the country has been divided on this issue. The opposition has been quick to back Yunus saying that he has been victim of vengeance. Netizens are also divided. Bloggers like Ichcha Manab thinks that this sudden decision to remove Yunus from the board is a disrespect to the Nobel Laureate and is a dent to the country’s image. Columnist Shamsher Chowdhury at The Financial Express says:

The lone Nobel laureate of Bangladesh should have been dealt with a little more dignity and respect. The entire saga clearly smells of jealousy, anger, vengeance and vendetta on the part of those who orchestrated the campaign against Prof Yunus. People at large are confused and would like to have a complete picture of what charges or irregularities Yunus is guilty of.

On the other hand Shafiur at Imperfect.World says:

For decades his zillions of fawning supporters have twisted the truth and failed to see the limited creature that microcredit is. I hope today that grin has been wiped off his face. For sure he is fighting back and he has powerful friends both at home and abroad. But this is a day to savour.

Some like Mahbub Morshed cannot understand what the fuss is all about as they think that Yunus’s credibility and achievements will not be lost if he is no longer the MD of Grameen operations.

Himu writes:

তিনি যদি এতই বিচক্ষণ আর বিবেচক হবেন, কেন এই প্রতিষ্ঠানটিকে স্বাভাবিক প্রশাসনিক প্রক্রিয়ায় যোগ্য কোনো পরিচালনা পর্ষদের কাছে হস্তান্তর করলেন না?

Alamgir concludes his post at Sachalayatan with this:

দারিদ্র্যকে জাদুঘরে পাঠাতে চেয়েছিলেন ড. ইউনূস। সেটা হবার নয়। তবে দরিদ্র মানুষের ভাগ্যের কিছুটা পরিবর্তন নিশ্চয়ই করতে পেরেছেন; কতটুকু পেরেছেন সেটা ভবিষ্যৎ বিচার করবে। সরকার আইনের দোহাই দিয়ে একজন বুড়ো মানুষকে বিদায় দিচ্ছে। যে মন্ত্রী সেটা করছেন তিনি আরো বুড়ো কিন্তু মন্ত্রী হবার জন্য বয়স, শিক্ষা, যোগ্যতা কোন বিষয় নয়। প্রধানমন্ত্রীও তাঁর পূর্বপ্রতিশ্রুত অবসর গ্রহণের বয়স পার করেছেন। দেখা যাক কী হয়।শেষ বিচারটা সবসময় জনগণই করবে। ড. ইউনূসের জন্য অনেক অনেক শুভ কামনা রইল।

Also published at Global Voice. ]]> http://www.ebangladesh.com/2011/03/11/netizens-of-bangladesh-are-divided-on-removal-of-muhammad-yunus/feed/ 10 http://www.ebangladesh.com/2011/02/28/clinical-trial-of-a-cholera-vaccine-in-dhaka-bangladesh-raises-some-questions/ http://www.ebangladesh.com/2011/02/28/clinical-trial-of-a-cholera-vaccine-in-dhaka-bangladesh-raises-some-questions/#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 01:42:09 +0000 Rezwan http://www.e-bangladesh.org/?p=2967 A recent international news on Bangladesh was presented in a very positive light – the world’s largest clinical trial of a cheap oral cholera vaccine will be conducted in Dhaka, which can save tens of thousands of lives every year. The reports do not contain much except that the study involves nearly 250,000 people near the capital. This will be a cheap alternative to the currently available vaccines and two-thirds of the 250,000 people involved in the trial will receive two doses of the Indian-made vaccine and the rest will receive a placebo.

A cholera hospital in Bangladesh. Image by Flickr user Mark Knobil. CC BY

Blogger Judhisthir followed [bn] the news and was surprised that the local media was silent on this issue:

একমাত্র প্রথম আলো ছাড়া আর কোন পত্রিকায় এটির কোন খবর খুঁজে পেলাম না, প্রথম আলোতেও পাওয়া গেলো ১৮ই ফেব্রুয়ারির পত্রিকায়, অর্থাৎ কর্মসূচি শুরু হবার একদিন পরে, তাও তৃতীয় পৃষ্ঠার এক কোনায়। উপরের লিঙ্কগুলো খেয়াল করলে দেখবেন বিদেশি সংবাদ মাধ্যমগুলো এ খবরটি দিয়েছে একদিন আগে বা ঘটনার দিনে। স্বাস্থ্য মন্ত্রণালয়ের ওয়েব সাইটে কিছু পাওয়া গেলো না, সেটা আসলে আশা করাও উচিৎ হয় নি।

Except for Prothom Alo, I did not find the report in any other newspaper. In Prothom Alo they published the news after one day of the launch (18th February, 2011) and it was placed in one corner of the 3rd page. If you follow the above links you will notice that international media covered the news on the day of launch or before. I did not find anything in the health ministry website, of course I should not have expected that.

So the question comes why is this silence? Judhisthir finds out some stunning facts:

২.১. ভ্যাকসিনটার নাম হলো ShanChol। নির্মাতা ভারতের Shantha Biotechnics, যেটি ফ্রান্সের Sanofi Aventis-এর একটি প্রতিষ্ঠান।

2.1. The name of the vaccine is ShanChol, made by Shantha Biotechnics of India, a subsidiary of Sanofi Aventis.

২.২. ভারতের স্বাস্থ্য বিভাগ এটি অনুমোদন করছে,কিন্তু বিশ্ব সাস্থ্য সংস্থা (WHO) এখনও করে নি। চিন্তার বিষয় হলো, ভারত সরকার ভ্যাকসিনটি ব্যবহারের অনুমোদন দিলেও জাতীয় পর্যায়ে বিশাল আকারের কোন কর্মসূচী নেয়ার কোন পরিকল্পনা তারা অনুমোদন করেনি।

2.2. The health authority of India approved it, but it was not approved by WHO. The worry is that the Indian government has approved the use of the vaccine but did not approve plans to conduct national campaigns with it.

২.৫. ShanChol এর প্রাথমিক ডোজের কার্যকারিতা বছর দুয়েকের মধ্যে অনেক কমে যায়, এবং তখন বুস্টার ডোজ দেয়া জরুরি। [..] প্রশ্ন থাকে বাংলাদেশের মত তথ্য অব্যবস্থাপনা আর স্বাস্থ্য অসচেতনতার দেশে এই বুস্টার ডোজটি নিশ্চিত করা কতটুকু সম্ভব সেটি নিয়ে।

The effectiveness of ShanChol reduces much within 2 years, then a booster dose is required. In a country like Bangladesh where information is poorly managed and people are not aware about health issues, how can the booster doses be ensured, the question remains.

And these raise more questions:

৩.১. প্রথম প্রশ্ন, ভারতীয় কম্প্যানীর তৈরী ভ্যাকসিনটির ব্যাপক আকারের ট্রায়াল ভারতে হলো না কেন? ভারতের তৈরি টীকা বাংলাদেশে পরীক্ষা করাটা শুনতে ভালো লাগে না, যখন ভারত নিজেই এই পরীক্ষা করতে চায় না। ভারত কিন্তু কলেরামুক্ত কোনো দেশ নয় যে তাদের এই পরীক্ষা করার দরকার নেই।

3.1. First question, why this significant trial of an Indian pharmaceutical company was not carried within India? It doesn’t sound good that an Indian vaccine is being trialed in Bangladesh, when India refused to test this in its soil. Is India a Cholera free country that it doesn’t need such trial?

৩.৩. দেশের সংবাদ মাধ্যমে আর জড়িত প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোর ওয়েবসাইটে এই বিষয়টি প্রকাশ না করাটাও বেশ বিরক্তিকর। এটা কি বাংলাদেশি মিডিয়ার উদাসীনতা? নাকি এটা ইচ্ছে করে গোপন রাখা হয়েছে?

3.3. This is really irritating that the newspaper reports and the websites had a news blackout. Is this negligence of the Bangladeshi media? Or it was willingly suppressed?

৩.৫. ভ্যাকসিন ট্রায়াল নিয়ে সারা পৃথিবীতে কেলেংকারি কম হয় নি। বিশেষ করে প্ল্যাসিবোর ব্যবহার নিয়ে সবসময়ই বিতর্ক আছে। তবে আজকাল মানুষকে সাবজেক্ট হিসাবে ব্যবহার করা হলে ন্যুনতম কিছু নীতিমালা পালন করা হয়। সাবজেক্টের কাছ থেকে সজ্ঞান অনুমতি নিতে হয়। [..] প্রশ্ন হলো, ভ্যাকসিন ট্রায়ালের ক্ষেত্রে এরকম এথিকস কতটুকু অনুসরণ করা হচ্ছে? মীরপুরবাসীরা কি জানেন তারা একটি পরীক্ষার সাবজেক্ট? যে ৮০ হাজার লোক প্ল্যাসিবো পাবেন, তারা কি জানবেন যে তারা কনট্রোল গ্রুপের সাবজেক্ট মাত্র? নাকি আমাদের দেশের সরকার আর অন্য দেশের ভ্যাকসিন নির্মাতারা আমাদের ভালোটা আমাদের চেয়ে ভালো বোঝেন, তাই এসব খবর মীরপুরবাসীদের না জানানোই ভালো?

3.5. There were many controversies in the world regarding vaccine trial. Especially the use of placebo always ushers in debates. Now-a-days a guideline is followed whenever a human subject is used. The subject has to approve this in sane mind. [..] The big question is what guidelines are being followed for the vaccine trial (in Dhaka)? Whether the residents of Mirpur know that they are subject to a trial? Those 80000 people who will receive only placebo, will they ever know that they are the subject of a control group? Or whether the government and the foreign pharmaceutical knows better, so the Mirpur residents need not know?

Jason Kerwin at Methodlogical points out:

Basically, most vaccines have to stay cold so bacteria and other microbes don’t grow in them. To stay cool (and safe) from the factory to the patient, vaccines require an effective cold chain.

This isn’t a problem in most of the U.S., where vaccines are shipped cold from the factory, in refrigerated containers, and kept cool at clinics and hospitals. But it may be a challenge in places in like Bangladesh where infrastructure is not as developed. The result is either spoiled vaccines or vaccines that don’t make it to rural, isolated populations.

S. M. Mahbub Morhsed, a commenter in Judhisthir’s post says:

আমেরিকায় একটি নতুন ঔষুধ ডেভলপ করতে এক বিলিয়ন ডলারের মত খরচা পড়ে। স্বভাবতই তাই এরা গিয়ে ভারতের মত জায়গায় ঔষুধ ডেভলপ করছে। এবং বাংলাদেশকে বেছে নেয়া হয়েছে গিনিপিগ হিসেবে।

In USA, development of a new drug will cost one Billion dollar. Naturally they went to a place like India to develop the medicine. And Bangladesh has been selected as a guinea-pig.

Another commenter Safi says:

নাগরিক অধিকার বা মানবাধিকার জাতীয় শব্দগুলো আমাদের জন্য প্রযোজ্য না

The terms like Citizens Rights or Human Rights are not applicable to us.

Now the big question is who will answer the above questions.

Also Published in Global Voices Online.

Language is an important aspect of our life. We explore the world through language. The world occurs to us through language. To promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism worldwide, International Mother Language Day is held annually on 21st of February.

For Bangladesh, 21st February has a different symbolization. It is a national day of Bangladesh to commemorate protests and sacrifices to protect Bangla (Bengali) as a national language during Bengali Language Movement of 1952. Anushay describes a bit of the history:

On this day in 1952, after the “Principles Committee of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan” announced that Urdu would be the only state language of East (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan, a huge wave of protests erupted in Bangladesh where the majority spoke Bangla.

Politicians joined students in their demonstrations and the Pakistani Government responded by violently cracking down on the protesters. Over the course of one week ((February 21-27, 1952), they killed student demonstrators, some directly in front of Dhaka Medical College. [..]

On February 29th, 1956, Pakistan added Bengali as the second official state language after Urdu. Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Mamun M. Aziz shares [bn] in BDNews24.com Blog about how 21st February became officially recognized:

১৯৯৯ সালের ১৭ নভেম্বর অনুষ্ঠিত ইউনেস্কোর প্যারিস অধিবেশনে একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারিকে আন্তর্জাতিক মাতৃভাষা দিবস হিসেবে ঘোষণা করা হয় এবং ২০০০ সালের ২১ ফেব্রুয়ারি থেকে দিবসটি জাতিসংঘের সদস্যদেশসমূহে যথাযথ মর্যাদায় পালিত হচ্ছে।

21st February was declared as international mother language day in the Paris session of UNESCO on the 17th of November 1999. Since 2ist February, 2000 this day is being observed in all the nations under UN.

View slideshow of pictures at Shaheed Minar here.

The day’s festivities include laying flowers at the early hours at Shaheed Minar, an iconic sculpture situated in the place of the massacre. Mohamed Arif Raihan Mahee was there this year. He writes:

হাজার হাজার মানুষ লাইন ধরে দাঁড়িয়ে আছে, কারো মধ্যে কোন তাড়া নেই, পরিবারের সবাই মিলে এসেছে মহান আন্তর্জাতিক মাতৃভাষা দিবসে ভাষা শহীদদের প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানাতে।

Thousands of people are standing in queues, nobody is in a hurry, they came with family members to pay tribute to the fallen on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day.

Jerome D’Costa at Bangladesh, Canada and Beyond celebrates the day with an innovative idea. He started posting depictions of Bangla alphabets in his own blog to introduce them to the international community.

See all the 51 depictions by Jerome here.

Asif Mohiuddin at Somewhereinblog platform writes about the power of the language to shape nationalism:

পৃথিবীতে এই পর্যন্ত যতগুলো জাতিরাষ্ট্র দেখা গিয়েছে, ভাষাভিত্তিক জাতিরাষ্ট্রের দার্শনিক ভিত্তি সব সময়ই অন্যান্য সকল জাতিরাষ্ট্রের চাইতে উন্নত বলে দার্শনিক সমাজে স্বীকৃত। ভাষা মানুষের এক ধরনের আত্মিক বন্ধন তৈরি করে, যেই বন্ধন অন্য যেকোন ধরনের বন্ধন থেকে শক্তিশালী। [..] একটা জাতিকে একত্র রাখার জন্য চাই অভিন্ন জাতীয়তাবোধ, যা একমাত্র ভাষাই দিতে পারে। একক সংস্কৃতি, একক জাতিগত চেতনাই মানুষকে একত্র করতে পারে, ঐক্যবদ্ধ রাখতে পারে।

Among all nations we have seen, the countries that are united by language fare better than other nations, as indicated by the philosophical communities. Language creates a kind of bond among souls which is stronger than other bonds. [..] To keep a nation united you need common nationalistic attributes, which only language can pacify. Common culture, common nationalistic ideologies can unite people and keep them together.

According to mb.com.ph:

More than 50 percent of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken in the world are likely to die out within a few generations, and 96 percent of these languages are spoken by a mere 4 percent of the world’s population.

Akhtar Hossain opines [bn] that like Bangladesh 21st February can be declared as a public holiday all over the world so that everybody can be more aware of the significance of this day and it probably can save more languages from dying.

Sochol Zahid at Sachalayatan Writers Forum informs [bn] that on the 25th of February a speedchat will be introduced by the International Center at the University of Alberta to celebrate the diversity of language on its campus. Here are two videos introducing the event:

How did you celebrate the day?

(Also published in Global Voices Online)

Children Park – a type of real social business

(example of MOON PARK & MOON HOUSE)

This was also published in The News Today 09 Dec 2010 and other blogs

http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=14376&date=2010-12-09

http://www.bdcomcn.com/English-Articles/children-park-a-type-of-real-social-business-of-moon-park-a-moon-house.html

 http://bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=343086  



Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, of Bangladesh while addressing the prize giving ceremony of a painting competition at Dhaka Osmani Smriti Auditorium on October 18, 2010, has directed the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to recover all the children’s parks in the capital. The prime minister, according to UNB Dhaka, vowed to establish a safe and prosperous Bangladesh for every child.

Yes, there is no doubt that concerned authorities would try their best to recover all government children parks, no matter how successful they would be to maintain and keep the campaign according to given directives from the highest executive of the government. But I, like many others, am little wondered as to how much those local influential illegal occupants have gone regarding places like Children parks too. There is no need to emphasize the requirement of children parks for the over all development of a total Children. Considering their importance’s, government did their parts and hopefully would continue doing the best in this regard always. But we being the brothers and sisters, parents and relatives, teachers and lovers of every child also got to think and do exactly in the same way as our Prime Minister thought and gave directives.

Because the government can not establish more and more children parks all of a sudden, and because we all also have the morale and social responsibilities too for all the children, so, we got to also do some thing, either individually or being in a group. We may think of taking following measures to ensure so that more and more children get the facilities of Children parks:

1. Authorities of schools and other educational institutions may consider establishing children parks at their own premises, no matter how small or big those could be. They should also ensure the proper maintenances of all existing children parks.

2. Those who, specially at rural area, can effort to make few items of children park at their own premises may also make such facilities available for their own and local children. There are few such items directly related to physical exercises which don’t need lot of space, cost or electricity. Besides, such can be made with collective efforts too. Some one may also think of making the same at their roof top at city location too. The idea is so that every child gets the minimum facilities of Children Park.

3. Many rich people of our society already have hundreds and thousands of “Farm Houses” (bagan bari in bengali pronunciation) of their own. Those are indeed their spare houses out side the city areas mostly for their personal leisure and pleasure. Of course I am not trying to say any thing against their farm houses, however, would like to humbly suggest so that they could also think of making those, whole or part of those, in to some thing like children park for the local children and thus allow local children to play there either free of cost or with little ticket money. We always talk about social responsibilities and social businesses. Arranging such facilities for the children could be one of the best social responsibilities. Again the concepts of social businesses often emphasized by our Noble Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus are known to the whole world and also widely discussed. So, from that point of view too, some token ticket money may also be charged from incoming children, however, the ticket fee got to be within affordable limit of those rural parents too.

Frankly speaking, I won’t suggest any of above if I won’t believe on those totally. I use to always think in the past about these children park facilities for our rural poor children. That is the reason I tried to establish two such children park at my own according to my personal interest, planning, limited economic capabilities and efforts. Spending my pension money, I have established one Children park named Moon Park at village PIRUJALI in General Area Hotapara, Gazipur. The area is near writer Humayun Ahmed’s Nuhash Polli and really green and comfortable in all seasons.

Well, for this case, I tried to establish and experiences by myself first and then now trying to suggest some thing for others too. It is said in the religion also that you try to do the same first before you suggest the same to others. When ever, I heard or read about the social businesses expressed by noble laureate Dr. Yunus, tried to think and identify as to how many types of social businesses could there be, specially for a country like Bangladesh? I also tried to think always as to what maximum social benefits can be offered with what minimum charges from different types of social businesses. Well, there can be many different types, but, for me, I have desired to do some thing related to children’s health, enjoyment, excitement, mental growth, physical exercise etc, and so thought of establishing one children park for them as part of so-well-discussed social business.

Now at this stage, being little encouraged by the noble directives of honorable prime minister of Bangladesh, I have only one aim of mentioning this as an example and that is, so that others who are interested may also establish such children parks at different parts of our country. Besides, those who are already having their Farm Houses (bagan bari) may also become interested as well as feel responsible to tern their those farm houses, part or whole, into children park for the local rural children and allow them to play either free of charge or with little token ticket money.

“Moon Park” is a small eco friendly green garden which is also used for picnic or outing spot for those city people who may afford to rent it and be interested to enjoy the green nature as part of their rest and refreshment. However, the focus is always given to the local children’s playing and that is why the word “park” is associated with it’s name. Any one may be wondered to know that a local child may visit and play at Moon Park with only taka ten ($ US 10 cents only) per person. The Moon Park was inaugurated on 14 April 2010 (pohela boishak) through arrangement of boishakhi mela (local fair organized on the bengali new year) where all the incoming children along with their parents, friends and relatives were allowed to go inside and play with free of charge. Surprisingly the total presence on that very single day crossed the figure 2500 (almost 100% children of that general area) which really proved in my mind that, yes, our children really need such facilities. I also felt very comfortable inside for being able to make one such park for our rural children. The smiling faces of our rural deprived children are still in my memories, pictures of which can also be shared by readers from below web link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/113734232071731875096/MoonPark#

“Moon House” is also another such place, same eco friendly garden with children park facilities where children can not only play but also see life birds and fishes. No matter how many facilities children are enjoying inside but only taka 30 ($ US 40 cents only) is charged per person. It is designed to be a real safe house for the playing of children and that is why the word “house” is associated with it’s name.

It may be mention that the eco friendly green gardens of both Moon Park and Moon House are also attracting foreigners and as such contributing to the tourism in Bangladesh too. Hope the scope of tourism in this sector would also increase in future.

I hope both Moon Park and Moon House would be able to contribute for children’s playing in the long run as part of social businesses in real sense. I also hope that many other persons having similar feelings like me would also try to do some thing better for our children which are so necessary for their total development. Children would carry us forward, they are our future hopes and so we must do our best to do best for them.

For those who may be interested to know about Moon House and Moon Park for their picnic or outing purposes may also brows below web link:

http://www.moonhousemoonpark.com/

 email: moonhouse.moonpark@gmail.com,

This “greener” fuel alternative has sunken the transport cost for many vehicle owners. The high price of conversion of Engine (Tk. 56000 eq. US$800) did not deter many people from using this as fuel cost becomes 5 to 10 times cheap when using CNG. Moreover, it provides clean air by reducing harmful emission.

The government vehicles are gradually being converted to CNG. Many public transports including buses are fueled by CNG and autorickshaws in Dhaka are compulsorily powered by CNG. When Bangladesh government banned the Two-stroke autorickshaw engines in 2003, there was a 30 to 40 percent drop in particulate pollution in Dhaka.

Natural gas is supposed to be Bangladesh’s only significant source of energy. So the CNG sector had a promising future. But suddenly everything seems to be stalled. The CNG sector is running into crisis according to Energy expert Kh.A.Saleque:

* There are allegations that without making proper feasibility study authorities through corrupt practice accelerated permissions for setting up CNG filling stations in already saturated areas.

* The massive growth of CNG re-filling stations in already congested gas distribution networks have created additional burden on the main gas distribution net work.

* The Government served double blow to CNG by al most doubling feed gas price to CNG and increasing CNG price significantly in one step.

In year 2002, there were only five CNG filling stations in Dhaka. By 2005 it grew to 75 and now approximately 500 stations are operating. CNG refueling stations consume only 5 per cent of the gas production. Approximately 300,000 of the 1 million vehicles on the road are now CNG-fueled. A typical CNG station is equipped with a double hose dispenser with two double nozzles and would serve between 300–500 cars in 16 hours station access time. So there is already a demand of 500 more stations to provide smooth CNG refueling service.

The government has recently banned CNG stations from selling CNG from 3PM to 9PM. This has created long queues in the filling stations forcing many vehicle users to opt for gasoline consumption instead.

I share with you one bitter experience of mine which I faced last Saturday. The CNG autorickshaws in Dhaka was a good transport option back in 2004-2005 when it ran on meter and there was a law that they should go everywhere where the passenger wants to go. But now it is completely a mess. They don’t run on meters, will not go everywhere and the passengers has to agree to exorbitant price when they have no alternative. I started from Paribagh towards Gulshan 2. The CNG driver requested me to allow him to refuel his CNG tank as 3PM was approaching and there will be no refueling for next 6 hours. But at the end it cost me 40 minutes (equivalent to journey time) as he had to be in a long queue in a CNG station. Who is responsible for the loss of opportunity cost of him and mine?

The Owners of CNG refueling stations is protesting the Petrobangla move to raise the CNG price by sending a proposal to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). The price rise will be from Tk 16.53 (25 cents) to Tk 25 (36 cents).They will go on strike from the 1st of November as the banners and posters say. The common citizen will suffer and more and more people will switch back to gasoline which will be a sad ending to a happy story.

Protest in Kashmir. Image by Flickr user Kashmiridibber, CC BY-NC-ND

If you thought the the issue of burning the Qur’an would not have repercussions across the world then you may think again. The mayhem in Indian administered Kashmir on the 12th of September was instigated by violent protests which ensued after the emergence of a report of a Qur’an desecration in Michigan, USA. The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet condemned the reported burning of the Qur’an and asked the people to stay calm. However, according to BBC, thousands of people defied curfews and took to the streets, chanting anti-India and anti-US slogans and burning effigies of US President Barack Obama.

Mobs set fire to several government buildings and a Protestant-run school and the police fired back. At least 18 people have been killed and scores were injured. People are asking how much of these protests bears the anger over the desecration of Qur’an and how much on the anti-Indian feelings and their freedom struggle. Journalist Altaf Hossain said to BBC: “the anger against the US may subside soon, but the killings have ensured that hatred against India has been re-inforced.”

As the street violence in Kashmir increased in recent months, the Indian security forces shifted in the hard-line. A number of protesters were killed and many were detained. Videos have emerged showing repressions and tortures against the detainees by the security forces like Abu Gharib, which have angered more Kashmiris.

Here in this amateur video uploaded by Kashmir Nation, protesters are seen shouting slogans of “Azadi” (freedom) from India:

The popular Indian blogs seem to be mostly silent on the issue but the Twitter users are discussing this in greater numbers. Although most tweets contained misinformed rage and rumors, some communicated voice of reason. Here are some tweets showing reactions on the different aspects of the situation.

The efforts of the Indian government:

@sardesairajdeep: kashmir cant be solved in delhi. need to invest in the people of the valley, in their hearts and minds, however tough that is.

@sardesairajdeep: its taken the pm 3 months to call an all-party meeting on kashmir. should have happened much earlier.

@SachinKalbag: By deferring the AFSPA (note: Armed Forces Special Powers Act) decision, the government has given the separatists further proof of how the Valley remains an open field for anarchy.

Indian army patroling in Indian administered Kashmir. Image by Flickr user Kashmiridibber, CC BY-NC-ND

News and rumors about burning of installations:

@AdityaRajKaul: @samar11 My great grand-father was among founders of Biscoe School which was set ablaze by #Separatist Goons in #Kashmir

@AdityaRajKaul: Confirmed News #Kashmir #Separatist mob this evening set ablaze Shiv Temple @Nayi Basti in Khaanabal, Anantnag. Police post destroyed #Taliban

@pawandurani: Startling revelation. No temple burnt in #Kashmir in absence of Govt confirmation. Govt censoring news … Ashamed of Indian sickulrism

Help and distress calls:

@polgrim: The hospitals in Kashmir are running out of blood. To donate call – Incharge SMHS Blood Bank, 094-19-415373. v @FaizanAli

Reactions:

@polgrim: It is disheartening to report many of the Indian media folks on Twitter have a perverse sense of reality when it comes to Kashmir. Very sad.

@NitishaKaul: Kashmiris asking for Azadi shd be prepared to be painted/spinned as ever more Islamic, pro-Pak, violent, militant. #Kashmir #India

@Deshbhakta: @bdutt what purpose or larger cause did ur channel serve by not telecasting d news of hoisting of pak flag in Indian Srinagar’s Lal Chowk?

@Kalkharab Koshur: O #india ,let me tell you,you will get tired of imposing curfews but we wont get tired in our struggle.You have to leave #kashmir

On possible solutions:

@smitaprakash: @ranga_chennai i dont think anybody is quite sure what wl wrk now in Kashmir. Quelling violence is a priority but so is meeting thr demands

Image by Flickr user Kashmiridibber. Used under a CC BY-NC-ND license

Kashmir Blogs writes about the use of religion to set the agenda of the secessionists:

The viscous cycle of violence continued unabated, except some intermittent and brief periods of peace. The armed forces of India and terrorists backed by Pakistan played the cat and mouse game of killings with each other and many innocent kashmiris lost their lives in this deadly game.

The separatist political parties of Kashmir are obviously paid handsomely by the Pakistani agencies to keep the pot of hatred against India boiling. This is the main reason that they are not interested in talks with the Indian central government. So what do the separatists do to ensure that peace never returns to the strife stricken valley? The answer is that they are using the religion to incite the hatred for India without considering the implications of their devious act.

The Kashmir says that Kashmir is not an economic problem as “the state is not at the bottom in terms of development indicators”. However the problem lies elsewhere:

The Valley is imitating Pakistan on two counts. Pakistan begs globally by threatening to self-destruct even while the elites of Pakistan send their children to study abroad and the poor Abduls and Kasabs are made to die for the cause. The same hypocrisy is practiced in the Valley by its leaders.

K.R. Surendran opines that Kashmir needs a holistic approach and questions:

Who brought this part of our nation to such a pass? Who converted it into perennially bleeding State? Pakistan alone… or the State authorities? Central Authorities or all these factors combined?

There are lots of questions to be answered and there is no sign of resolving this conflict.

First published in Global Voices Online.

But in recent times the textile sector has seen some confrontation between the workers and their employers over wages related issues. Bangladesh’s competitive advantage had been skilled workers and low wages but due to inflation the old minimum wages has become an absurd figure now. The garments factory owners associations have long been able to halt the talks of raising of minimum wages claiming that if wages are raised they will not be able to maintain competitiveness and lose market especially during the global recession. Their bargaining point was that because most of the workers do overtime they actually earn one and half to twice the amount of the minimum wages. But this has also increased the unhealthy practice of exploiting more labor hours from the workers.

They make your Tshirts. Image by Flickr User Niloy. CC BY

Around 3 million labors work in approximately 5000 garments factories across the country and almost 80% of the workforce are women. Mahfuzur Rahman Manik provides a background on the minimum wages issue:

সর্বশেষ ২০০৬ সালে বর্তমান বেতন কাঠামো নির্ধারণ করা হয়। সর্বনিম্ন বেতন স্কেলের জন্য তখন মজুরি বোর্ডের সুপারিশ ২৩০০ টাকা থাকলেও মালিক পক্ষের চাপাচাপিতে নির্ধারণ করা হয় ১৬৬২ টাকা। বর্তমান মূল্য ও মুদ্রা; দুইয়ের স্ফীতির এই বাজারে একজন শ্রমিকের নিজের পক্ষেই শহরতলীর বস্তিতেও দিনযাপন করা অসম্ভব। তিন বছর পার হলেও সে বেতনের আর পরিবর্তন হয় নাই।

The last pay scale was fixed in 2006. The wages board recommended an wage of Tk. 2300 per month (US$ 33) but after the hard bargaining from the employers Tk. 1662 per month (US$23) was fixed as the minimum wage. Due the inflation of currency and prices it has become difficult for the workers to live with this pay even in the slums of the towns. After three long years no change was made to the minimum wages scale.

Mohammad Golam Nabi advocates for the increase of wages:

বেতন বৃদ্ধির দাবীতে গার্মেন্টস ফ্যাক্টরিগুলোর উত্তাল হয়ে উঠার বিষয়টি বেশি করে শুরু হয়েছে ২০০৭ সালের শেষ ভাগে। [..]

আমাদের গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিকদের একদিনের বেতন ৫৫ টাকা থেকে শুরু। এই টাকায় খাবে, ঘর ভাড়া দেবে, সাবান কিনবে, গোসল করবে আমরা কি করে আশা করি। [..] প্রজনন স্বাস্থ্যের যত্নবিহীন এই নারীরা যে সন্তান জন্ম দেবে, সেই সন্তান এই দেশের আগামী প্রজন্ম মনে রাখুন।

The protests for raising wages started since the end of 2007. [..]

The wages of one day of any garments worker starts from Tk. 55. They will have to use this meager amount to pay their rents, meal, personal hygiene etc. [..] All these ladies will have to give birth to children without proper reproductive hygiene, these children will be the future generation – please beware.

Sharif Kafi writes that the reason for recent unrest in the garments industry is not because of wages issue but the exploitation of few of the employers:

এসব ঘটনা ঘটার মূল কারণ শ্রমিকদের অত্যন্ত কম বেতন দেয়া, গার্মেন্টস মালিক কর্তৃক বেতন বকেয়া রেখে পরে তা শোধ না করা, বকেয়া বেতন ও বকেয়া ওভার টাইম এবং বকেয়া ভাতাদি পরিশোধ না করে হঠাৎ করে ফ্যাক্টরি বন্ধ করে দেয়া এবং ঈদের আগে সময় মত বেতন-বোনাসের টাকা পরিশোধ না করা অথবা না করে ফ্যাক্টরী বন্ধ করে দেয়া। অথচ এক শ্রেনীর গামেন্টস মালিকরা এসব ঘটনাকে বিদেশী চক্রান্ত বলে সবার চোখে ধুলো দেয়ার চেষ্টা করছে।

The main reason for these unrest are underpaying the workers, defaulting on labor payments, shutting down the factory without paying their dues and not paying bonus during Eid festival. But a few garments factory owners are trying to fool people by blaming these incidents as politically motivated.

After long bargaining with the employers and the workers, the Government has finally decided to raise the minimum wages to Tk. 3000 per month ($44) which is approximately double of the current minimum wages. The wages structure will be formally announced tomorrow.

Arif Jebtik, blogger, writer and an entrepreneur provides a list of FAQs regarding the wages and garments industry from management’s perspective. Some excerpts from his post at Sachalayatan:

* নতুন বেতন যদি নূন্যতম বেতন ৩০০০ টাকা করা হয়, তাহলে এই সেক্টরে কী সমস্যা দেখা দিতে পারে ? গার্মেন্ট শিল্প কি বন্ধ হয়ে যাবে ?

: নাহ, আদতে তেমন কোনো ক্ষতি হবে না। কারন তখন সব গার্মেন্টই বেতন বাড়াতে বাধ্য হবে, সুতরাং তারা মূল্যও বেশি দাবি করবে। বায়ারদের হাতে এই মুহুর্তে কোনো বিকল্প নেই, তাই তারা বেশি দামেই কাপড় কিনতে বাধ্য হবে। মনে রাখতে হবে আমরা যে কাপড় সেলাই করি, সেটি খুবই বেসিক এবং কম দামের, সুতরাং এই কাপড়ের চাহিদা দুনিয়াতে থাকবেই।

* নতুন বেতন বৃদ্ধিতে গার্মেন্টের লাভ কমে যাবে বলে অনেকেই ধারণা করছেন। গার্মেন্ট শিল্পগুলো কিভাবে চলবে তখন ?

: আসলে বেতন বৃদ্ধি আমাদের জন্য এক ধরনের আশীর্বাদ হিসেবে আসবে বলে আমার ধারণা। এখন গার্মেন্টগুলো বাধ্য হবে নতুন প্রযুক্তির প্রচলন করতে এবং বৈজ্ঞানিক পদ্ধতিতে উৎপাদন ব্যবস্থাপনা করতে। এটি এই শিল্পের জন্য ভালো হবে। প্রোডাকশন ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং চালু হবে, দক্ষ শ্রমিক ও মিড লেভেল ব্যবস্থাপনা তৈরীর জন্য প্রশিক্ষনের ব্যবস্থা করতে হবে।

* If the minimum wages is increased to Tk. 3000, what problems will this sector face? Will many factories be closed?

: No I don’t see the chance of incurring huge loss. Because every factory in the sector will have to increase wages, so the competitive prices will be at the same level. The buyers don’t really have many options, so they will have to accept the increase in price. You have to keep in mind that the cloths we manufacture are very basic in nature and of low cost, so worldwide they will continue to have demand.

* People say that the profit of the garments companies will decrease causing them to shut down. How will they survive with the increased costs?

: I think the increase in wages will come as a blessing. The factories will have to embrace new technologies and deploy scientific production methods. this will be beneficial for the industry. The sectors like production engineering will be revitalized, skilled workers and mid level management will require more training.

We have some developments in the trial of war criminals in Bangladesh. According to reports, the formulation of rules of procedures for International Crimes Tribunal’s investigation agency and prosecution panel has been completed. The rules are flexible as the tribunal registrar said that the tribunal can revise, change, add to and deduct from the rules if it felt there was any need in future.

The Daily Star has some detailed analysis on the procedures of the tribunal:

The three-member tribunal, instituted under International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, can try a person in his presence or absence.

The judges will take cognizance of an offense after examining the formal charge, investigation report, documents and evidence submitted by a prosecutor.

They may dismiss a case if they deem the evidence is not authentic or strong enough to warrant a trial.

The Rules Of Procedures 2010 were published in a government gazette on July 15, 2010. You can download it from here.

In a recent report by Strategic Foresight Group, a Mumbai-based think tank, titled “The Himalayan Challenge – Water Security in Emerging Asia” some alarming statistics were presented. In the next two decades, the four countries in the Himalayan sub-region will face the depletion of almost 275 billion cubic meters (BCM) of annual renewable water, more than the total amount of water available in Nepal in present day.

Water availability is estimated to decline in 2030 comparing to present level by 13.50% in case of China, by 28% in case of India, by 22% in case of Bangladesh and by 35% in case of Nepal. The factors contributing to this decline are:

1. About 10% to 20% of the Himalayan Rivers are fed by Himalayan Glaciers and studies say 70% of these glaciers will be melted by the next century as a result of accelerating global climate change.
2. Glacial melting will eventually reduce river flow in the low season and increase in temperature in some areas leading to deforestation.
3. Disappearance of thousands of lakes.
4. Depletion of water resources due to pollution and natural reasons
5. The reduced riverflow induces more deposit of silt in river bed narrows the depth of river thus causing flooding.

The implications of depletion of water resources are:

1. The agricultural sector is the major consumer of fresh water. However this sector will be using less water due to non-availability of water leading to less productivity.
2. The cumulative effect of water scarcity, glacial melting, disruptive precipitation patterns, flooding, desertification, pollution, and soil erosion will be a massive reduction in the production of rice, wheat, maize and fish.

The consequences of the scarcity of water has prompted many countries to train rivers and manage water flow by building dams. But dams effect the river basins downstream. So it has become an issue for regional disputes. China alone has developed plans to build over 200 dams which will effect the downstream flows of the river in several countries.

India vs. China:

The 2,900 km long Brahmaputra River flows through China, India, and Bangladesh, and its watershed includes Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma as well. In 2000, India accused China of not sharing flood data of the flows of Brahmaputra River through the Chinese territory. This resulted in widespread devastation and floods in India killing many people. In 2002 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the countries to coordinate water related data sharing.

In early 2003, China conducted a feasibility study for a major hydropower project along the China section of the Brahmaputra River. This project was supposed to divert 200 billion cubic meters of water annually to the Yellow River. This would result in 60% reduction of water flow downstream in India and Bangladesh. In 2006, the Chinese government denied the existence of the plan however this remained a reason for the strained relationship between the two countries. However it was found later that China was building a dam on Brahmaputra.

In April 2010, China assured that the dam on river Brahmaputra will have no impact on the downstream flow of the river into India Bangladesh.

India vs. Bangladesh:

The Indian government has plans to get India’s 37 major river interlinked by 2016 implementing its interlinking of rivers (ILR) project. 25 new dams are planned for the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. According to experts the impacts of the ILR on Bangladesh will be the function of many variables, including the alteration of hydrology, river dynamics, ecosystem changes, agricultural productivity, intrusion of salinity and public health. The reason for dispute between both the countries is that Bangladesh have not been officially notified of plans for the ILR project.

India vs. Pakistan:

Pakistan is worried about six rivers (Indus, Chenab, Jhelum, Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi) that flow into Pakistan through northern India, including the disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir and the state of Punjab. Their disagreements lead to the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which has come under an increasing strain in recent days. India completed a hydroelectric power project on the Chenab River in the Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir by building a dam on 2008. Pakistan is wary of facts that the shortage of flow of water in rivers could cause rapid desertification.

Water issues are not only raising the political temperature between countries but also between states within a country like the river Kaveri is the reason for serious contention between Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Karnataka states.

The Solution:

One thing is for sure if India and China race for building dams to control flow of river within their boundaries without consulting their downstream neighbors then the situation will be volatile leading to unnecessary confrontation and war. The threats cannot be addressed by the unilateral efforts of nations, only regional cooperation can mitigate such tensions.

The Dhaka Declaration on Water Security has proposed an expert committee to prepare a road map for data-sharing and scientific exchange and to prepare guidelines for introducing transparency regarding relevant data.The declaration urges “greater political commitment and data exchange among Himalaya basin countries for collective approaches to the region’s water challenges”.

Dialogues between the citizens of the countries concerned are needed so that unnecessary escalations can be avoided.The region has to commit to agreements like the Dhaka declaration so that a Regional Information Sharing Network on water resources can be achieved.

(Also published in Future Challenges)