U.S. Water News Online
CALCUTTA, India -- Bangladesh is in danger of turning into a desert if India goes ahead with an ambitious scheme to link its major rivers, Bangladesh's water resources minister said.
``India's program to link major rivers is a matter of concern to Bangladesh and is a big issue for us,'' the minister, Hafizuddin Ahmed, told reporters in the eastern city of Calcutta.
Ahmed, who led the Bangladeshi team at two days of talks in the Indian capital, New Delhi, said the project would damage Bangladesh's environment and agriculture.
Most of Bangladesh's 250 rivers originate in the Himalayas and run through India before draining into the Bay of Bengal.
Arjun Charan Sethi, India's federal water resources minister, has said the project was in its beginning stage and would benefit both countries if implemented.
India wants to link 37 rivers by building reservoirs and canals, diverting surplus water from its flood-prone east to its arid central, western and southern regions for irrigation and power generation.
Bangladeshi experts fear the project would significantly reduce water levels in Bangladesh, depleting fish stocks, affecting river transport and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people. They say it could also lead to desertification in the north and east, and raise salt levels in estuaries in southern Bangladesh.
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