South Asian Consultation on River Linking Project Towards Fair, Equitable and Sustainable Utilization of Transboundary Waters

21 - 22 August 2004, Bangladesh

The Bangladesh People's Initiative against River Linking (BPIRL) in collaboration with the South Asian Solidarity for Rivers and Peoples (SARP) is organizing the South Asian Consultation on River linking Project on 21-22 August, 2004 at the LGED Conference Room at Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The South Asian region is burdened with conflicts over fair and equitable sharing and utilization of waters of the common rivers. So far, very little substantive efforts have been made to resolve the concerns and problems on the basis of established norms and principles. While countries struggle over the already existing conflicts, in the absence of any regional effort, approach and understanding, new conflicts are also shaping up, the most debated of which is the mega project of river linking proposed by India. When the media first gave coverage of the project, the people of Bangladesh, India and Nepal started registering their protests and concerns over the same. Since then, the civil society and environmental activists of these countries have discussed the issue of possible collaboration amongst them for drawing common strategy for resisting such projects from common platform. This consultation shall provide the like minded actors of south Asia to explore the possibility of drawing up a common position for future collaboration.

It is feared that if the proposed project is implemented in violation of international laws and customary rules, the same shall force the hydrological map of the region to change, much at the cost of the ecology, environment, life, living and livelihood of people that includes peoples of India as well. This is the reason why the protests from the grass root movements involved in environment, ecology, human rights and social justice issues are intense and getting momentum. It is getting increasingly clear that it is more about the peoples of river than between countries and any unilateral decision and implementation of the river linking project is essentially against the peoples of the region. The south Asian activists must therefore, come together to identify the reasons and evaluate the impact of arbitrary interference on common water system and define strategies and plan of action to resist such arbitrary interference with shared resources.

The need of the moment is to act to ensure that peoples river are managed in due consideration of peoples needs and aspirations. The globally recognized principles of fairness, equity, peace, sustainable use and utilization and no harm must form the basis of the vision that the South Asian countries adopt for managing their shared rivers for common good.

The main objectives of the consultation would be:

• Share, evaluate and highlight peoples concerns around the proposed river linking project in order to enrich data, information, analysis and more insights and clue for further research.
• Reviewing existing legal regimes of trans-boundary river and water sharing and assess the failure and success of these regimes to defend the water related rights of diverse communities of South Asia.
• Assess the social, economic, political and environmental impact of structural intervention on common river systems and understanding alarming alliance between corporate capital and the States in mega projects.
• Draw a common regional position of action and strategy that is inclusive of all initiatives and movements of South Asia resisting river linking project in the context of the broader movements against, dams, embankments and mega-projects.

The emphasis will be on drawing up a pragmatic action plan that would oppose unilateral projects like the river linking and support sustainable utilization of rivers with due regard to social, economic and environmental pledges/needs of the peoples of this region.

It is expected that the civil society participants from the SAARC countries shall participate in the consultation. The local participants shall include members of the civil society and those affected by unfair water resource management projects and programs.

Contact:

S. Rizwana Hasan
Phones: 8614283, 8618706
Fax: 8612957
Email: bela@bangla.net