Bangladesh urges ‘water justice’ and regional cooperation as climate risks rise in Hindu Kush Himalaya

Bangladesh has called for urgent regional cooperation to protect rivers and communities across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), warning that accelerating glacial melt, floods and droughts threaten millions who depend on the region’s major river basins.

Speaking virtually on behalf of the Ministry of Water Resources, Syeda Rizwana said aligning national water policies with regional realities was now essential. Welcoming Bangladesh’s accession to the 1992 UN Water Convention, she said the move would strengthen research, amplify national concerns globally and support equitable sharing of transboundary waters.

“Rivers must unite, not divide,” she told a high-level roundtable on Friday morning in Kathmandu, part of a two-day Water and Climate Resilience workshop hosted by ICIMOD with UNECE, UNESCAP and IUCN.

Rizwana noted that water governance in South Asia has long been contentious. “Our countries have not yet managed to agree on a common framework for managing shared water resources. Climate change is making this even more complex,” she said, urging coordinated regional action.

The roundtable brought together policymakers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan and China to discuss the growing risks from glacial melt, unpredictable river flows and more frequent floods and dry spells. Experts warned that climate pressures are increasingly straining water systems across the HKH.

Bangladesh’s accession to the UN Water Convention — the first in South Asia — drew strong regional interest. Officials highlighted how the country is deploying global governance tools and its partnership with the Netherlands to strengthen resilience.

Rizwana stressed that upstream events directly shape Bangladesh’s fate. “What happens in Nepal or Bhutan inevitably impacts Bangladesh. A glacier outburst upstream will directly affect our lower riparian region,” she said. While Bangladesh battles domestic challenges from northern drought to coastal salinity, she said most water crises remain inherently regional.

Pollution and ecological degradation are compounding the threats. Rizwana pointed to uneven industrial discharge and river encroachment, and welcomed restoration efforts across the region. “Rainfall in India’s Cherapunji determines the fate of Bangladesh’s Haor wetlands,” she said, noting several are Ramsar sites of international importance.

Citing the latest IPCC findings, she warned South Asia faces severe water stress without collective action. She highlighted the Bangladesh Delta Plan, National Water Act and National Adaptation Plan as frameworks that could inform regional solutions.

Energy cooperation also featured prominently. Rizwana referenced last year’s trilateral agreement for Nepal to supply hydropower to Bangladesh through India, noting Bhutan’s interest in joining similar arrangements. “We must find ways to use electricity generated from one river system and supply it across borders to meet our NDCs. This is only possible through trust, not suspicion,” she said.

Rivers, she added, must be treated as living systems with rights, and authorities held accountable when those rights are violated. She said Bangladesh’s UN Water Convention membership will strengthen research, disaster preparedness and early-warning systems across the region. “Let us ensure our rivers bind us together, not divide us,” she said.

Regional experts including Dr Kalyan Rudra of West Bengal, Dr Debolina Kundu, Nepal’s Sanjeeb Baral, Bhutan’s Pema Thinley, Dr Md Abdul Hossen of Bangladesh and Arvind Kumar of the India Water Foundation called for joint monitoring, data sharing and sustained dialogue to build trust among riparian countries. They stressed integrated planning and stronger scientific support.

A dedicated session highlighted gender-responsive approaches, citizen science and youth engagement as essential to climate resilience. YouthNet Global’s Executive Coordinator Sohanur Rahman reminded delegates that frontline communities must shape regional decisions. “In the HKH, the climate crisis is a daily reality. Countries must invest in shared science and youth-led solutions. Resilience is impossible without justice, inclusion and true regional cooperation,” he said.

Technical sessions examined cryosphere melt, extreme climate events and basin-level trends across the Indus, Meghna, Brahmaputra and Ganges systems. Discussions focused on turning scientific research into actionable policy and strengthening cooperation, with several participants noting Bangladesh’s growing leadership in regional water diplomacy.

Workshop inputs will feed into the HKH Rivers Outcome Brief and upcoming regional and global platforms, including the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development and the 2026 UN Water Conference. Participants agreed that only coordinated regional action can prevent escalating climate impacts and transform water from a potential source of conflict into a driver of shared prosperity.