Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has called for the establishment of a high-level cooperation mechanism with India to address disasters like floods.
He wants this cooperation to be effective during emergencies.
He made these remarks during a courtesy call by Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday afternoon.
The meeting took place at a time when the northeastern Sylhet region, greater Noakhali and Comilla in the eastern region, and Khagrachari in the southeastern region are submerged by floodwater.
In addition to the heavy rainfall, the situation in Feni has become dire due to the upstream mountain runoff from India, a district with no history of such flooding.
After the meeting, Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, while briefing journalists, said Yunus spoke to the Indian envoy about the need for high-level cooperation, particularly in the exchange of water-related information.
“[He] said that Bangladesh and India frequently hold flag meetings between the BGB [Border Guard Bangladesh] and the BSF [Border Security Force]. [He] suggested whether a similar type of high-level flag meeting could be established… Since we share a common catchment area with India, and sometimes our deltas overlap, we share the same water.
“So, his point is that this should be a very high-level collaboration, and it should be activated quickly during emergencies, with meetings held promptly to address the situation.”
The press secretary said: “Verma told the chief advisor the flood in Tripura was also unprecedented. As many as 50,000 people have been displaced there as well.”
“Verma also said ‘it has created havoc on both sides, both in India and Bangladesh’,” said Shafiqul.
Bangladesh’s social media users have been circulating claims that a dam at the Dumbur hydropower station in Tripura was opened in India, which led to the devastating floods in Bangladesh.
Advisors Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain have both blamed the opening of the dams for the disastrous floods.
Asif wrote on his Facebook page, which roughly translated into English, read: “Opening the water gates without prior notice and causing floods may become the reason for a fallout between India and Bangladesh. A clear explanation must be given to the people of Bangladesh in this regard.”
Nahid said: “The sudden opening of the dams without any prior warning is an inhumane act by India and shows a lack of cooperation with Bangladesh.”
However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs has already issued a statement to clarify the matter.
It said: “We have seen the concerns of Bangladeshi citizens regarding the opening of the Dumbur Dam in Tripura, being cited as the cause of the flood situation in the eastern districts of the country. This is factually incorrect.”
According to the statement, the areas along the Gomti River in both Bangladesh and India have experienced the highest amount of rainfall in the last couple of days. The initial flooding in Bangladesh was caused by the increased water levels from downstream.
The statement also said there are three water monitoring stations along the river, 120 kilometres upstream from Bangladesh. The updates of the situation were provided to Bangladesh under a bilateral protocol from the Amarpur station.
“Information on the rising water levels was shared with Bangladesh on Aug 21 until 3pm. However, communication issues arose due to a power outage caused by the floods at 6pm.”
Press Secretary Shafiqul also said Verma spoke about the release of the dams during his meeting with the chief advisor.
“There was a discussion about the rain in Tripura and the dam. Verma said there was an automatic release of the dams due to the high-water levels.”
CONCERNS OVER INDIAN MISSION SECURITY
According to the press secretary, Verma was worried about over the security of India’s diplomatic missions in Bangladesh.
Shafiqul told reporters: “The Indian envoy expressed deep concern over the security of the Indian High Commission and the Indian Embassy premises in Bangladesh. Some of the posts on social media are unfortunate.”
“A group of students have been protesting at Dhaka University premises blaming India for the floods since Wednesday. Protests have also taken place at other universities and different areas of the capital, with threats to surround the Indian High Commission issued by Nurul Haque Nur, the chief of Gono Odhikar Parishad.”
INDIA WANTS A STRONG BANGLADESH
Shafiqul said Verma told Yunus that India believes in a strong and developed Bangladesh. It also wants to work with Bangladesh.
“He spoke of more positive engagement with Bangladesh,” said the press secretary.
“There were discussions about the safety of minorities as well. The Indian envoy highlighted the importance of people-to-people connectivity between the two countries.
“He mentioned that last year, 1.6 million people travelled from Bangladesh to India. Of these, 60 percent went for tourism, 30 percent for medical purposes, and the remaining 10 percent for other reasons. Verma said ‘this is the highest visa operation for any country in the world’.”
“He said ‘we want to work together,’” added Shafiqul.
“In response, the chief advisor told Verma ‘Bangladesh is one big family. We are all brothers and sisters here. We stand together with everyone’
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