Thousands join a river fair in Kurigram as communities, experts and officials call for climate resilience, erosion control and cross-border cooperation on South Asia’s shared rivers amid rising climate risks.
A day-long river fair and public assembly held in northern Bangladesh on Tuesday brought together thousands of river-dependent people, environmental experts and policymakers to highlight growing climate risks, riverbank erosion and the need for regional cooperation on shared rivers in South Asia.
RDRS Bangladesh organised the event under the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA-2) programme, titled Rivers, Rights and Resilience, and took place along the Brahmaputra basin in the Char Jatrapur area of Kurigram Sadar upazila.
Bangladesh, located at the downstream end of major Himalayan river systems, is widely regarded as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Experts at the event emphasised that addressing river erosion, flooding and heat stress requires community participation, science-based policy and regional collaboration.
Thousands of people from char and riverine communities across multiple upazilas of Kurigram district participated in the fair, reflecting strong grassroots engagement on river governance, disaster preparedness and climate adaptation in one of Bangladesh’s most flood- and erosion-prone regions.
The fair focused on key rivers of the Brahmaputra basin, including the Jinjiram, Arjun Dhara, Dudhkumar, Dharla, Phulkumar and Gangadhar, which shape livelihoods, agriculture and fisheries for millions living in northern Bangladesh.
Discussions centred on riverbank erosion, risk management in riverine and char areas, climate change impacts, sustainable fisheries and agricultural practices and challenges arising from recurrent floods and other climate-induced disasters, alongside possible community-led and policy-based solutions.
Speakers stressed that while rivers such as the Brahmaputra and its tributaries originate beyond Bangladesh’s borders, their impacts are felt most acutely downstream, underscoring the importance of inclusive river basin management and cross-border cooperation among South Asian countries.
Organisers noted that the fair was not about rivers “reappearing” but about people coming together along the riverbanks to assert their rights, resilience and collective voice in the face of environmental and climate pressures.
The public assembly and river fair formed part of RDRS Bangladesh’s broader efforts under the TROSA-2 programme to strengthen environmental justice, climate resilience and people-centred river governance across the Brahmaputra basin and South Asia.
RDRS Bangladesh Executive Director Dr Imrul Kayes Muniruzzaman chaired the public assembly. Speakers included river and environment expert and All-Party Parliamentary Group Bangladesh’s director, Mahabuba Rahman, UN consultant and former Riverine People president FM Anwar Hossain, Begum Rokeya University Dean Dr Tuhin Wadud and Kurigram Circle Officer Masud Rana.
