The Honorable High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Australia PeoplesRepublic of Bangladesh
Dear Mr. Masud
Good day from Sydney. Please find herewith a press release of a Alochona Sova on Tipai Mukh Dam showing our concern.
Regards
Ertaz Chowdhury, B.Sc( BUET). MIEAust, CPEng, NPER,
Professional Builder, Terranian Building Group
On Behalf of STOP TIPAIMUKH DAM ACTION GROUP, Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia. A “Discussion Forum” on Social, Political and Environmental Impact of Tipaimukh Dam on Bangladesh was organised by Stop Tipaimukh Dam Action Group, Sydney Australia at 6:30 pm on 9th August at Belmore Youth Resource Centre, Sydney.
Veteran Australian Agriculturalist Mr. Motaher Hossain told in his speech that extreme and unbearable effect of Farakka Dam on nature, environment and rivers of Bangladesh shows that Tipaimukh Dam will bring another man made disaster by Indian Government in the presence of more than forty Australian professionals namely Doctors, Agriculturalists, Environmentalists, Zoologists, Engineers, IT personnel and students of Bangladeshi origin.
Renowned Zoologist Dr. Ismail Hossain expressed his concern that Tipamukh dam will bring havoc to the nature and the ecology of Bangladesh as it happened to South-west of Bangladesh due to death trap of Farakka. He also compared lower riparian basin of Borak, Surma and Kushiara as an ecology puzzle, stopping natural water flows at upstream of international river violating article 1 of Charter of UN, Sanfranscico, 26/06/1945 means damning vital elements of puzzle from nature of Bangladesh.
Dr. Abul Khair Jalaluddin told that implementation of tipaimukh dam will destabilize nature and economy of Bangladesh. Eventually Bangladesh will be brought to knees of neighboring country.
Famous sociologist Dr. Waliul Islam informed that adverse effect of Dam is a contributing factor to a huge number of unemployment and floating people in the Bangladesh society. And these people are forced to involve in drug and prostitution for their survival that leads our younger generation to a vulnerable condition and depression.
As a guest Speaker famous Environmentalist Dr. Nargis Banu, pointing to Bangladesh government urged to take legal path as a protest to Tipaimukh Dam. In this instance BD government should become a signatory of UN Convention on the Law of the Non navigational Uses of International Watercourses-1997 with out delay any further and by doing the same Indian Government should behave as a responsible country in international arena. She also asked World Bank not to involve in this project until Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must be carried out for the whole stretch of down Stream of Borak River not the isolated part of India. She also expressed her dissatisfaction over Pinac Chokrabarti as he defamed our golden boys as “so-called Water Expert’.She also mentioned that proposed Dam construction area is a earthquake prone area due to its tectonic setting and geology made up of the Surma Rocks that can cause localised shifting or deflection. Tipaimukh dam site has been identified at the highest risk seismically hazardous zone. That means higher possibility to break the dam in an earthquake event which could eventually cause human catastrophe in downstream Bangladesh.
As a chairperson of this Discussion forum President of Bangla School and Cultural centre, Mr. Abedullah Haroone told Bangladesh Government to become more sincere in their approach to save this nation otherwise Bangladeshis of Sydney will call a International long march towards Tipaimukh Dam. Later on a resolution was read out by a member and delegate of Australian Labour Party named Mr. Yunus Mondal and vowed to continue our struggle to inform our deep concern to Australian Parliament, World Bank and international communities to protect 140 Million people of Bangladesh from unlawful dam activities that will create another Gaza of South East India. Sources: Ferdous Quddusi, RTNN Australian News Bureau, Sydney, Australia.
End.
I would like to request the Honorable High Commissioner or anyone for that matter;
1.“Why Bangladesh is not a signatory to the UN Convention regarding river and water”?
2. “When are we going to sign that Convention”?
Faruque Ahmed
I am a webmaster, bloger and activist.
I am involved with free speech, fair democracy, independent judiciary, civil rights, industrial rights, protection of nature and the environment.
I believe all human beings are equal regardless of sex, race and religion.
I oppose and condemn the notion of “chosen people”, “superior race” and “God given right to ethnically cleanse” other peoples like Adolph Hitler and Israelis.
Resource hungry Indian entrepreneurs would do anything for the mighty dollar. The compliant politicians would do the same. Then what will be the future of nature, the environment, indigenous population, and the indigenous flora and fauna? Because these groups can't afford lobby groups and are lacking in having a fat cheque book therefore, they are severally marginalised!
This dangerous project, if allowed to go ahead will have a severe impact on nature, the environment, the indigenous population, indigenous flora and fauna, including the people of the region and beyond. The adverse impact on fish stocks, food production, water ways transportation, the clogging the arteries, the rise of arsenic levels, and the many basic things of life that we take for granted.
India and Pakistan are sharing five rivers amongst themselves. Due to the natural advantage, the Indians can change the course of these rivers and deny Pakistan every drop of water! Yet, India and the Pakistani governments made a deal i.e. India can play around with two rivers but they are not allowed to touch three other rivers!! India must allow Pakistan to have the water from three rivers without any question or dispute.
Bangladesh is a river oriented country and it’s peoples lives and livelihood depends on water. India and Bangladesh share many mighty rivers but unlike the five Pakistani rivers mentioned above, India can not divert any of these other rivers! Yet, India have been denying water to Bangladeshi’s during the dry season and dumping most waters down stream during the wet season!!
Therefore the question is, “why is India so cruel to the Bangladeshis”? Is it because the Bangladeshis do not have nuclear bombs?
My object is to find a peaceful solution and I believe the united voice of reasonable people can create peace and maintain peace without the use of guns and bullets. However, for the record, prior to 9/11, India was ready to invade Pakistan based on some silly reasoning. Not surprisingly, the Pakistani nuclear bomb deterred them from a blood bath! Would you believe, since then, the Indians and Pakistani governments have introduced a mechanism such as “Hot Line” as well as a few more mechanisms, to avoid war.
Re: Proposed Tipai Mukh Dam by India - Violation of UN Convention on the Law of the Non navigational Uses of International Watercourses-1997
Honorable Dr. Peter:
Good day from Sydney, Australia. We, the downstream people of international river Barak, are writing this letter to draw your attention to the gross violation of UN Convention and recommendations of World Commission on Dams (WCD) by Indian Government. We are afraid that if Tipaimukh Dam is built by India on International Water courses at downstream of the confluence of Barak and Tuivai rivers near Tipaimukh village and it remains unabated, it would pose a great threat to the nature, environment and peoples of Bangladesh and turn Bangladesh into a desert. We also afraid if this injustice and Water crime continue, you might see the rise of political unrest and extremism in Bangladesh as we know all that injustice begets extremism.
The unilateral construction of Tipaimukh dam by India on this international river Barak is a violation of the article 9 of Bangladesh-India Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, 1996. The Tipaimukh Dam project was entirely developed and approved without informing the government of Bangladesh or involving its people in any meaningful exercise to assess the downstream impacts of the dam. Bangladesh was not invited to participate, fully and actively in the decision-making process as a key stakeholder. This is clearly a gross violation of co-riparian rights of Bangladesh.
Dear High Commissioner, Rivers, watersheds and aquatic ecosystems are the biological engines and blood vessels of the planet. They are the basis for life and the livelihoods of local communities. Dams transform landscapes and create risks of irreversible impacts.
It is a water crime and one kind of state sponsored environmental terrorism against one hundred and forty million people of Bangladesh that is set to defeat justice, human rights and ecological systems of our motherland.
Indeed, today we are living in a world which is very volatile and vulnerable. By ignoring the emerging unlawful activities on international rivers, the international community can not escape from their obligation and duties to wards humanity, nature.
For your action against these inhumane activities we have enclosed relevant reports.
We must not betray our conscience!
Sincerely,
Ertaz Chowdhury, MIEAust, CPEng, NPER
Representative of Save Bangladesh, Sydney, Australia
The Rice Bowl of India, Bengal, has the gift of water via it’s vast rivers. Food crops, fish stocks, trade, transportation, nature, environment, flora, fauna are part of peoples' life lines that are the inhabitants in this area and by extension inhabitants, elsewhere. These groups are both directly dependent on the river system of the Bengal region.
During the 70’s India constructed the Farakka Dam! The impact of Farakkah Dem was and is devastating to Bangladesh and some of the neighboring parts of India! To make it worse, India has constructed a few more dams which has added more misery and created a slow motion, destructive effect. In short, Bangladesh is a lake in the wet season and a desert in the dry season. It is a man made slow and sure death trap imposed on a nation of 160 millions which results in, and creates a source of environmental refugees!!
Such indiscriminate constructions of dams are in Violation of UN Convention on the Law of the Non navigational Uses of International Watercourses-1997and other protocols.
Yet, the power drunk Indian government is unstoppable and arrogant as well!
Now India is going to built forty more dams including Tipai Mukh Damwhich will ensure the inevitable and proper destruction of nature and the environment. In addition many of the indigenous tribes of India will inevitably suffer in the long term as a result of the decision to build these dams! Isn't it a cruel game?
