We invited disaster upon ourselves: Speaker on Tipaimukh Dam

"We invited disaster upon ourselves by repeatedly asking for it," said National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, commenting on the Tipaimukh Dam. The speaker made the remark on Wednesday, April 15, following a supplementary question from Abdul Malik, a member from the Sylhet-3 constituency.

Earlier, in response to MP Abdul Malik's question, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintu said he would discuss the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed multi-purpose hydroelectric project on the Barak River in India's Manipur state, located approximately 100 kilometres upstream from the Bangladesh border. The project is being built to generate 1,500 megawatts of electricity and control flooding. However, there have long been concerns in Bangladesh about reduced water flow and potential environmental disaster.

During the question-answer session on the environment ministry, MP Abdul Malik highlighted the suffering caused by floods and droughts in Sylhet. He said that during the monsoon season, vast areas of Sylhet become submerged due to flash floods and the flow from upstream of the Barak River, while severe water shortages occur during dry seasons. On behalf of the people of Sylhet, he asked about the government's plan to tackle the Tipaimukh Dam and flash floods.

In response, Environment Minister Abdul Awal Mintu said he would discuss the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and necessary measures would be taken to resolve the issue in the future.

After the minister's response, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed shared his own experience, saying, "I have some experience as a former water resources minister. This Tipaimukh Dam was built by India at the request of Bangladesh's then foreign minister Abdus Samad Azad. We invited disaster upon ourselves by repeatedly asking for it."