Staff Correspondent

Dialogue For Development Bangladesh (DDB) organised a discussion meeting on "Teesta Master Plan: New Horizons of Regional Connectivity, Water Security and Sustainable Development" at Manik Mia Hall of National Press Club on Saturday with Zahir Khan in the chair and it waa moderated by Abu Tayyab Havildar.

At the meeting, USA Virginia BNP President Zahir Khan said, "Teesta is not just a river issue today; it is a national issue deeply related to Bangladesh's water security, food security, agricultural economy, environmental balance, and state sovereignty."

The main discussant, statesman and political analyst Rezaul Karim Rony said, there will be no proxy for geopolitical competition; rather, regional cooperation will be accepted based on national interests and sovereign decisions. It can be said for sure that the BNP government will implement the Teesta Master Plan at any cost, considering the public expectations.

In the discussion, Bangladesh Nationalist Youth Party Vice President Sayeed Iqbal Titu mentioned that the Teesta River crisis is not only natural; it is the result of long-standing political, diplomatic and geopolitical realities. Due to upstream water withdrawal and uncontrolled flow, agriculture, biodiversity, groundwater and public life in the northern region are being adversely affected.

Former chairman of the Department of Oceanography, University of Dhaka, Dr. KM Azam Chowdhury said, - They called for effective diplomatic initiatives to ensure Bangladesh's fair share of water in light of international watercourse law, especially the 1997 United Nations Watercourses Convention . At the same time, they demanded the speedy implementation of the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement, the publication of a full environmental assessment of the project and the formulation of a long-term national water security policy.

Other speakers said that the Teesta Master Plan can play a groundbreaking role in river management, flood control, river erosion prevention, irrigation system development, industrialization and regional economic reconstruction in the northern region. However, environmental balance, local people's participation and national interests must be given utmost importance in implementing this project.

The meeting was attended by the organizing organization Dialogue for Development Bangladesh (DDB), which made three demands. The demands are: First, the Teesta Water Agreement should be declared a time-bound national priority. Second, the full Environmental Impact Assessment of the Teesta Master Plan should be published and public consultation should be ensured. Third, Bangladesh should formulate a comprehensive national Water Sovereignty Doctrine .

Among others present at the discussion were DDB's Planning Coordinator, writer and organizer Abu Bakr Muhammad Mueen Uddin, Language Movement researcher Hasanul Banna, DDB Coordinator Rabiul Islam Palash, former Secretary of Dhaka University Students' Union Ali Akkas Nadim, former student leaders of Dhaka University Sultan Mahmud Tushar, Jaber Abdullah Khan, Kuwaiti expatriate Sayrul Amin Rajib, and others.

At the end of the meeting, the speakers considered the Teesta issue as a question of national priority and called for immediate effective action.