e_Paper 1-12-2016

DT
20
Editorial
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016
TODAY
France, Germany
to honour brave
women, men
The fight for human rights must be
conducted together and at all levels.
The Franco-German Prize for Human
Rights and the Rule of Law reflects this
PAGE 21
The smaller
the better
Numerous stronger states like the
UK find it difficult to secure national
politico-cultural interests in a globalised
economy
PAGE 22
BIGSTOCK
Protect our water resources
Ambitious, but
largely unsuccessful
Perhaps this will be the last time that
America’s vision for the world will
matter. After Trump, America will lack
both the power and the moral authority
to lead
PAGE 23
Be heard
Write to Dhaka Tribune
FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath,
Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207
Send us your Op-Ed articles:
opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com
www.dhakatribune.com
Join our Facebook community:
https://www.facebook.com/
DhakaTribune.
The views expressed in opinion
articles are those of the authors
alone and they are not the
official view of Dhaka Tribune
or its publisher.
Water is a fundamental human right, and the most
precious resource on the planet.
To that end, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s
words at the Budapest Water Summit are timely, and
we would do well to heed her directives and make water a priority.
Water scarcity and water pollution remain issues for a great
number of countries, but Bangladesh is particularly affected by a
lack of easily available drinking water. The PM’s proposed sevenpoint
agenda is admirable in that it lays out the groundwork
for how we can work to mitigate the water crisis for not just
ourselves, but for future generations.
The main reason behind the persisting water crisis in
Bangladesh is a lack of equitable distribution.
Bangladesh has been experiencing water shortages due, in
large part, to the Gajoldoba barrage and the Indian government’s
various attempts at diverting water flow away from Bangladesh.
The solution to this problem is within an arm’s reach in the
form of the Teesta treaty, the signing of which has been endlessly
stalled for short-sighted political reasons.
It would behoove us to take direction from the four core
tenets of the PM’s agenda for water: Resilience, management,
cooperation, and funding.
Water plays a key role in the culture, ethos, lives, and
livelihoods of people the world over -- everything from agriculture
to personal health hinges on ample availability of water.
A resource so inextricable with the very existence of the human
race should not be held ransom because of the indifference or
greed of politicians, businesses, and bureaucrats.
Water plays a key role
in the culture, ethos,
lives, and livelihoods
of people the world
over -- everything from
agriculture to personal
health hinges on ample
availability of water