Speakers at a mass gathering marking the historic 'Farakka Long March Day' have demanded the formation of a regional river commission comprising China, Nepal, Bhutan, India and Bangladesh under the supervision of the United Nations (UN) and the World Bank (WB) to secure a fair share of Ganges water.

They observed that such a regional commission would be capable of ensuring the equitable distribution of water across the region's river basins, alongside driving environmental conservation, the economic development of river-basin populations—especially the poor—improving living standards, and protecting the rights of neglected women and children.

The mass gathering, organized by the ‘Farakka Long March Day Celebration Committee,’ took place on Saturday afternoon on the banks of the Padma River at Barokuthi in Rajshahi city.

Advocate Enamul Haque, President of the Rajshahi chapter of the ‘Save the River and Environment Movement,’ presided over the function.

During the event, the speakers strongly urged the government to take all necessary steps to save the Sundarbans—the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage site—from the devastating effects of reduced river flow and excessive salinity.

They emphasized that the extensive damage caused to Bangladesh due to the unilateral diversion of water through India’s Farakka Barrage in the Ganges River, the dam on the Teesta River and structures on various other cross-border rivers must be officially assessed.

In this connection, they asserted that definitive remedies and compensation must be demanded from the Indian government for causing severe harm to Bangladesh through its unilateral withdrawal of water at Farakka.

However, the speakers observed that this deep-seated problem cannot be resolved through bilateral means alone.

In the broader interest of securing a fair share of international rivers, they maintained that a regional forum comprising India, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, and Bhutan must be established to tackle these pressing river issues.

Furthermore, the speakers pointed out that if reservoirs are constructed in Nepal to store Himalayan water, the overall water flow at Farakka during the dry season could be successfully increased from 130,000 cusecs to 190,000 cusecs.

They added that everyone in the region would benefit from this move, noting that with the help of these reservoirs, Nepal would be able to generate approximately 10,500 megawatts of electricity annually, which it could then export directly to Bangladesh.

The keynote paper at the event was presented by Professor M. Rafiqul Islam, former Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University.

A detailed discussion followed, featuring contributions from Prof. Nazrul Islam Mondol, Member of Parliament from the Rajshahi-5 constituency; Mostafa Kamal Majumder, President of the International Farakka Committee; Ershad Ali Esha; and the Administrator of the District Council.

Other notable speakers who addressed the gathering included Dr. Wasim Hossain, President of DAB’s Rajshahi District Branch; river researcher Mahbub Siddiqui; Azad Khan Bhasani, Member Secretary of the Bhasani Council; and Sultan Mahmud Sumon, Vice President of the Rajshahi Interest Protection Committee.