Hold more talks to solve Indo-Bangla problems
Suggests joint research
A joint research of Bangladesh and India suggested holding dialogues, more research, sharing knowledge, capacity building and disseminating climate issues to solve problems between the two countries.
The suggestions came at a workshop on “Trans-boundary water resource knowledge sharing: presentation of joint research findings and initiatives” organised by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a Netherlands-based organisation, at a city hotel yesterday.
“Ecosystem for life: a Bangladesh-India initiative”, a platform of civil society members and researchers of Bangladesh and India under IUCN, carried out the research.
The platform is holding dialogues involving stakeholders to promote better understanding of the management of natural resources in the two countries.
The dialogues involve research on food security and safe drinking water productivity for poverty alleviation; climate change impacts and its adaptation methods and mitigating strategies; preserving navigability of rivers and integrated water resources management.
Besides, the dialogues emphasise on the link between economic development and environmental security and improving understanding of ecosystems and habitats.
Speakers at the workshop said climate change has serious impacts on four issues -- water, food, migration and disasters -- threatening the lives of around 655 million South Asians, especially those living in the Ganges-Brahmaputra and Meghna deltas.
Therefore, civil society members of the two countries need to hold dialogues to share knowledge for solving issues related to protection of these people and preservation of biodiversity, they said.
Addressing the workshop as the chief guest, State Minister for water resources, Mahbubur Rahman, said collective actions and mutual learning are needed to resolve the common issues and problems of the two countries.
Besides, the civil society, policymakers and visionary scientists of multiple disciplines would benefit from sharing of knowledge by the researchers in the two countries, he said.
Former adviser to a caretaker government, CM Shafi Sami, chaired the workshop.
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