Excess salinity hits coastal belt for upstream water withdrawal, say experts

FE Report Withdrawal of waters in the upstream of common rivers has raised the level of salinity in the southern part of Bangladesh, speakers at a discussion said Thursday. They said it was also creating unexpected flooding in the country. They were speaking at a discussion, jointly organised by SAARC Agricultural Centre (SAC) and SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) ahead of the 26th anniversary of SAARC Charter Day, held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in the capital. The experts at the discussion said, besides the threats of sea level rise and unpredictable rainfall, a common phenomenon in the South Asian region, Bangladesh's vulnerability has been increasing gradually due to the dams built in upstream. Representative of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) , Md Zainul Abedin, said the dams in upstream and uncertainty in rainfall are creating unexpected flooding. "Withdrawal of water in upstream has also been causing excess salinity along the coastal belt", he said. Md Abedin informed that between 1973 and 2009, the area of lands with excess salinity increased by 127 per cent. He said that one of the major reasons behind the quick intrusion of salinity was the lack of water flow in the rivers in the coastal zone. He said, "The river flow is decreasing due to withdrawal of water and eventually the sea water is creeping into the river channels." The IRRI scientist also said that to ensure sustainability in agriculture following climate change the region will also need to consider the issues like soil fertility and groundwater depletion. Appreciating the newly formed SAARC Seed Bank, Agriculture secretary of Bangladesh CQK Mustaq Ahmed said that the newly formed seed bank will help develop overall agriculture of the region. Director of SMRC Arjumand Habib said SAARC countries should work together to install technologies of data assimilation and modelling in order to strengthen the ability to forecast various natural disasters. Director general (SAARC and BIMSTEC) of ministry of foreign affairs, Syed Masud Mahmood Khandoker chaired the programme.