Bangladesh opposition asks India to scrap river dam plan

DHAKA (Reuters) - The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) asked India Saturday to scrap a controversial dam project on a common river because of environmental concerns.

"We urge upon our neighbor to cancel the dam plan for the sake of millions in both the countries who will adversely be affected," Begum Khaleda Zia, chief of the BNP, told a meeting of politicians, experts and activists.

India has approved plans for a 1,500 megawatt project at Tipaimukh on the Barak River that flows from the northeast into Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Experts warn that the dam could cause two Bangladeshi rivers -- the Surma and Kushiara in northeastern Sylhet -- to dry up.

Khaleda, a former prime minister, urged the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to change its "kneel-down policy toward India."

"Take a bold step against the dam, we will assist you. Don't think that you are alone," she said.

Khaleda said the dam was likely to become "another Farakka-like death-trap for Bangladesh."

India commissioned the Farakka Barrage in 1974 on the Ganges river along Bangladesh's northern border to divert water to the river Hoogly to keep the Kolkata port navigable.

As a result, Bangladesh faced severe water shortages during winter until a 30-year agreement was signed in 1996 to share the flow.

Critics of the new project cite environmental experts as predicting similar results.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina last week that he would see the dam does not harm the neighboring country.

Hasina met Singh at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on the sidelines of a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues, including the dam.

(Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; Editing by Alex Richardson)