Today marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Farakka Long March, renewing Bangladesh’s call for a fair share of water from the transboundary rivers shared with India.

On May 16, 1976, mass leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani led a massive long march from Rajshahi towards India’s Farakka Barrage, demanding its demolition.

The Indian government constructed the major water diversion structure in the state of West Bengal, about 16.5 kilometres from Bangladesh’s Chapainawabganj border, to divert water from the Ganges River into Indian territories.

Thousands of people had participated in the historic long march and staged a demonstration protesting at the construction of the barrage that has been affecting Bangladesh’s ecology since its commissioning in 1975 on the transboundary river flowing as the Padma River through Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Nationalist  Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday reiterated the party’s concern over the water-sharing issue on the eve of Farakka Long March Day, describing May 16 as a significant day in the country’s national movement.

In a statement sent to the media, Fakhrul said that thousands of people had joined the historic long march towards the Farakka Barrage at the call of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani to demand Bangladesh’s rightful share of the Ganges water in line with international law.

He alleged that after India constructed the Farakka Barrage, the unilateral withdrawal of water from the shared river severely affected northwestern Bangladesh, causing environmental imbalance and ecological degradation.

Fakhrul, also the local government, rural development and cooperatives minister, claimed that the then Bangladesh Awami League government had allowed the barrage to operate on an experimental basis despite public opposition and humanitarian concerns.

He said that the barrage had since turned into a ‘death trap’, depriving Bangladesh of its fair share of water.

The BNP leader also alleged that dams and barrages built by India on 54 shared rivers without regard for international laws had disrupted natural river flow and posed a serious threat to Bangladesh’s environment and agriculture.

Different political parties and organisations have taken different programmes to observe Farakka Long March Day.

The Ganosamhati Andolan will hold a rally in front of the National Press Club in the capital Dhaka to mark the day at 11:00am today.

The chief coordinator of the political party, Dewan Abdur Rashid Nilu, and executive coordinator Abul Hassan Rubel will speak at the rally.

The Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani Parishad will hold a discussion in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital at 4:00pm today. Politicians and academics will speak at the event.

The Bhashani Onusari Parishad and the Bangladesh National Awami Party have chalked out programmes to observe the day.