Water justice and cross-border collaboration vital for climate resilience: Rizwana

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Friday called for stronger regional cooperation on water governance in South Asia. 

She emphasised water justice, river rights, disaster preparedness, and equitable benefit sharing among countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region to strengthen climate resilience.

Speaking virtually from Dhaka at the Subregional Workshop on Water and Climate Resilience in the HK: Advancing SDG 2030 Agenda through Science and Cooperation, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, Rizwana highlighted that water has historically connected countries but remains the least managed shared resource in South Asia. 

She urged all regional nations to strengthen collaboration under the UN Water Convention, noting that Bangladesh is already a party and is ready to work on critical issues such as disaster management, data sharing, and equitable river distribution.

“This convention can enhance regional preparedness through improved early warning systems and help countries uphold water justice as climate change intensifies hydrological challenges,” she said.

Rizwana stressed that upstream–downstream interdependence has never been clearer. “What happens to rivers in Nepal, Bhutan or India inevitably impacts Bangladesh, as 90 percent of our rivers originate upstream. Floods, droughts, sedimentation, salinity intrusion, cyclones, and river erosion are no longer national issues—they are regional phenomena shaped by cross-border hydrology,” she added.

The Adviser pointed out that despite existing policies, enforceable environmental laws, and flood management institutions, implementation gaps remain a major barrier. 

She expressed concern over outdated structural interventions built decades ago that have harmed river ecosystems. “Some embankments and flood-control structures built in the 1960s—without considering ecological impacts—have caused irreversible damage. We must revisit these measures to protect rivers as living systems,” she said.

Highlighting water pollution as a major regional threat, Rizwana said industrial effluents, illegal encroachment, mining, and unplanned development continue to degrade river systems. 

She praised ongoing efforts in Bangladesh to restore major rivers and acknowledged similar initiatives in Nepal.

Rizwana called for recognising rivers as living entities whose rights must be protected. “Our rivers are not only sources of irrigation, navigation, or power—they sustain life and ecosystems. Judicial decisions in Bangladesh and India have already declared rivers as living entities. This recognition must translate into stronger accountability for state agencies tasked with protecting them,” she said.

She also stressed that shared hydropower opportunities can drive a new era of cooperation. Recalling the recent Bangladesh–Nepal hydropower agreement, she said regional energy trade must rest on mutual trust, transparency, and environmental responsibility.

“Electricity generated upstream can support climate mitigation goals across the region if we ensure a cooperative framework rooted in trust, not suspicion,” she added.

The workshop featured remarks from Dr Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board; Dr Debolina Kundu and Arvind Kumar from India; Sanjeeb Baral from Nepal; Pema Thinley from Bhutan; Dr Md Abdul Hossen from Bangladesh; and YouthNet Global Executive Coordinator Sohanur Rahman.

Policymakers and practitioners from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China attended the roundtable.