Bangladesh to initiate talks with India over river water sharing: Rizwana

Bangladesh will soon take steps to hold negotiations with India over sharing of water of transboundary rivers, said Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

She was speaking at a seminar titled "Bangladesh's Fair Share of Water in Shared Rivers," held at Pani Bhaban in the capital.

Rizwana said that the negotiations will be held after considering public opinion and the outcomes of the talks will be shared with the people. 

The seminar was arranged marking the World Rivers Day.

Rizwana said although the water sharing of international rivers is a complex issue, the exchange of essential information should not be political one.

Presided over by Mihir Biswas, convener of the World Rivers Day Celebration Council; and moderated by Md Alamgir Kabir, General Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA); the seminar was addressed, among others, by Md Ejaz, Director of the River and Delta Research Centre; Md Shahidul Islam, Professor of Geography and Environment at Dhaka University; and Shamsul Huda, Executive Director of the Association for Land Reform and Development.

Researchers, environmentalists, and government officials participated in the seminar.