Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today suggested finding a native solution to water management and stressed maintaining the navigability of the rivers and highest harvesting of the rain water to resolve the shortage of water during lean period, reports BSS.
"The prime and foremost responsibility of the Ministry of Water Resources should be protection of the rivers, enhancing their navigability and water reserving capacity to turn them into 'blessings' instead of 'curses'," she said.
The prime minister said the government is making strides to ensure an equitable water management of the all trans-boundary rivers with India like the Padma River.
However, the solution should be found out on our own through river dredging and reservation of the rain water," she said.
The prime minister said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 'World Water Day-2018' programme as the chief guest at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has given utmost importance to river dredging whereas the regimes assumed power after Bangabandhu's murder had not taken the initiative for maintaining navigability of the rivers.
Laying importance on nature-based solutions to water problems, the prime minister said there are no alternative to the nature-based solutions for facing the mounting challenges of water resources management.
"Nature-based solution of different water problems is the demand of the present time and it must be encouraged," she said.
About the solution of Teesta water sharing with India, the prime minister said Bangladesh should have considered more wisely about the future impact before construction of the Teesta Barrage as we live in downstream.
"Now, we are in problem with the barrage. So, the more rain water we would be able to harvest the more we will be benefitted," she said.
Water Resources Minister Anwar Hossain Monju and State Minister Nazrul Islam, Bir Pratik, were present as special guests on the occasion chaired by acting secretary of the ministry Kabir Bin Anwar.
Director General of Bangladesh Water Development Board gave the welcome address.
A documentary on the water management and activities of the Water Resources Ministry was displayed while the theme song on the World Water Day was played.