Water experts at a discussion here on Wednesday stressed taking steps to introduce basin-based joint river management to address the growing water problems in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh.

They said the basin-based joint river management can improve the state of water resources in trans-boundary rivers of the South Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, and address the scarcity of water during the dry season.

The discussion on trans-boundary water problems and way forward was organised at the Jatiya Press Club in the morning.

In his keynote address, eminent water scientist of Pachimbanga Prof Pranabkumar Roy said the water of trans-boundary rivers is a common resource and the regional water problems cannot be addressed without using it jointly.

He said Bangladesh has no conflict with Nepal, Bhutan or China over water demand, but there remains an irritant in Bangladesh-India relations as both counties are yet to resolve water problems of the common rivers, particularly the Teesta River water. ‘We want a single agreement to be signed by the countries on all rivers to share water.’

‘I personally believe Bangladesh won’t be able to manage its water resources in the future by signing a water sharing deal on one or two trans-boundary rivers. So, a multinational agreement is an urgent to address water problems,’ Prof Pranabkumar said.    

He said if Israel and Jordan can share a small amount of common river water, why Bangladesh and India or India and Nepal cannot share their rivers’ water.

About Bangladesh’s growing water challenges, the Indian water scientist said as an agriculture-based country, it uses water more and water demand will be on the rise here in the future.

Bangladesh’s eminent water expert Prof Ainun Nishat said the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and India signed a joint statement during the Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Dhaka in 2011 and both countries should start work on resolving water problems as per the joint statement.

If water reservoirs cannot be created in the upstream of the common rivers, it will be very difficult to manage water resources in the South Asian countries, particularly in Bangladesh.

Former Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, former Commerce Minister Faruque Khan, chairman of Centre for Urban Studies (CUS) Prof Nazrul Islam, Joint River Commission member Mir Sajjad Hossain and former Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University Prof Abdul Mannan, among others, spoke at the discussion.