Strengthen regional cooperation to address water problems
Experts urge South Asian countries
Water experts and researchers at a conference yesterday stressed strengthening regional cooperation to address water related problems in the South Asian region.
They said increasing regional cooperation is essential for conducting research and modeling in this regard, particularly in the Ganges, Meghna and Brahmaputra (GMB) basins.
Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) organised the conference in the city's BIAM Foundation in the morning with Water Resources Secretary Shaikh M Wahid-uz-Zaman in the chair.
Local Government and Rural Development & Cooperatives Secretary Abu Alam M Shahid Khan and IWM Deputy Executive Director Abu Saleh Khan also spoke at the conference.
IWM Executive Director Prof Dr M Monowar Hossain presented a keynote paper titled “Challenges of the 21st century and role of IWM in water and climate” at the inaugural session.
Speaking as the chief guest, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen said once there was a significant amount of water in the rivers, but in recent years, the rivers are drying up due to inadequate water flow.
The government took initiatives to restore the navigability of rivers and save them from pollution. “Textile and leather industries in the capital must be relocated to save the Buriganga,” he said.
Expressing concern about the increasing population creating pressure on water and related resources, he urged the experts and researchers to find a sustainable solution to address the emerging problems.
Ramesh suggested the relevant agencies to rely on mathematical modeling for their water management projects as this tool had a proven track record.
State Minister for Water Resources M Mahbubur Rahman appreciated the applications of IWM modeling tools that covered a wide range of water related issues.
This includes flood control and forecasting, irrigation and drainage, river morphology, salinity and sediment transport, coastal hydraulics, port, coast and estuary management, environmental impact assessment, bridge hydraulics and related infrastructure.
Prof Monowar mentioned that IWM is involved with a large number of national projects including the Ganges Barrage Modeling, feasibility study of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge and safe drinking water source identification project in 148 pourasavas.
It is also involved in Sewerage Master Plan for Dhaka City, Teesta barrage project, Gorai River Restoration project, morphological study for Bangabandhu Bridge's safety and groundwater management and zoning study.
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