River waters get climate focus

[Saqueeb]

River water management has been adopted in UN climate negotiations to tackle climate change.

Parties of the UNFCC accepted the proposal in an SBI meeting at the ongoing climate talks in Warsaw, Poland.

Many downstream countries like Bangladesh, sharing trans-border rivers, have sought the incorporation water management in climate talks as part of an adaptation process.

But upstream countries such as Egypt, India, China and Brazil were reluctant to accept the proposal, arguing that trans- border river issues should be kept out of climate talks.
The matter, they said, could be resolved through regional or bilateral talks.

But countries at the Warsaw meet agreed to more discussion on Saturday.

Dr Ainun Nishat told benews24.com that four issues including water management would be focused on.

“We had tried to include water, human settlement, health, and ecosystem management in the list two years ago in Bonn. We were successful. In general, water management should be in focus and new programmes introduced. Now we are successful in Warsaw.”

Sources said upper riparian countries such as Egypt, China and India were reluctant to make water management part of climate talks.

But the matter is crucial for a country like Bangladesh that gets 92 percent of its water from upstream sources to ensure food security. The water management system is also related to disaster management as well.

Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, lead negotiator for the Group of 77 in climate negotiation on this issue, described it as a milestone in climate cooperation and would help promote climate adaptation across the world.

[ABM Nazmul Islam]

informative article

[Dr. Md. Rausan Zamir]

.....but I was wondering whether it is possible to digest the sweetness of the fruit when river water distribution will come on the discussion table after achieving climate focus as  when  upstream countries like  Egypt, India, China and Brazil were reluctant to accept the proposal, arguing that trans- border river issues should be kept out of climate talks, downstream countries like ours, are likely to be threatened by red eye denial as starting form super power (lets guess) United nation, most of the bodies dealing to ease the problem has very little to do in solving the burning  issue until or unless these problems are solved by bilateral negotiation between the countries shearing the cross border river.