‘Indian aggression over water destroying livelihoods’

Islami Andolon Bangladesh amir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, Pir of Charmonai, on Saturday alleged that the knee-jerk foreign policy of the government as well as India’s aggressive water diplomacy have been destroying livelihoods in Bangladesh.

“Bangladesh is a riverine country. Most of the country’s economy depends on rivers. But the wrong policies of the government of the country, the aggression of India’s water policy and the knee-jerk foreign policy of the government are destroying the livelihood of this country by sometimes making it a desert and sometimes by flooding it,” he said.

There used to be 24,000 kilometers of waterways in Bangladesh. It is now down to 4,000 kilometers. After the country’s independence, 158 rivers have dried up due to negligence, he added.

Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim was addressing a massive mass procession at the North gate of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram on Saturday afternoon.

In his speech, the Charmonai Pir also said with concern that,” India has blocked the major water flows of the country, including the 54 joint rivers of India, with the help of Farakka, Gajaldoba, etc. They are destroying the food security of the country by blocking water at the required moment and destroying crops by releasing water during monsoons, killing people.”