JS team and Tipaimukh
Photo: Bayazid Akter / Driknews
The visit to Tipaimukh dam site in India by a parliamentary team is a much talked about issue now. During the six-day visit the team will make a preliminary assessment of the impacts the proposed dam may have on Bangladesh. The delegation includes six lawmakers, three government officials and one water expert from BUET. The BNP did not send the names of its lawmakers for the team. According to the water resources minister, if the parliamentary delegation sees any possibility that the dam may have negative impacts on Bangladesh, the government will call a meeting of JRC to solve the issue. The comments of the water resources minister obviously indicate the viewpoint of the government on this very vital national issue. We all know that there is no question of IF, it is a matter of how much adverse impact Bangladesh will experience on its economy and the environment. There is only one expert in the team. To have some meaningful result from this JS team visit, there should be at least 3-4 water resources experts of known credibility. Prominent citizens who are widely known as nation's conscience are expressing their reservations about the intention of this visit. All natural water resources (canals, lakes, rivers, seas & oceans) have been created by the Creator for the well being of His creatures including humans. So, any major change done in the natural environment will bring havoc for all of us. The weekly magazine of the DS published a highly informative article in its 10 July 09 issue. If they have time, the JS team members can go through this article “The Dam Debate” and that may help them to do some homework for their task. In short, the impacts of the proposed dam will be: disrupted water & sediment flows, reduced biodiversity, sufferings of communities from poor water quality, lower crops & fish production, blocking fish migration, generate detrimental greenhouse gases, displace a huge population, trigger earthquakes etc. Is it necessary to go physically to Tipaimukh to assess the possible impacts?
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