Waterkeepers Bangladesh consortium organized the ninth river talkie as part of the advocacy process. The river talkie was organized at Itakhola, Demra, Dhaka by the riverside of Balu on 16 November 2022. The topic for the ninth river talkie was “Rivers for Communication”. WKB consortium lead, Sharif Jamil anchored the show. He welcomed and briefed me about the concept of the river talkie and project. The guest speakers of the talkie were Mr. Ibnul Syed Rana, Chairman of Nirapad Development Foundation; Mr. Shumon Shams, Founding President of Nongor Bangladesh; Mr. Nikhil Chandra Bhadra, Coordinator of Sundarban and Coast Protection Movement; and Mr. Suruj Mia, Convenor, Barogram Balu River Coalition. Discussants of the river talkie called upon all concerned parties including the government to take effective measures to formulate and implement plans to protect waterways for the greater interest of the nation. They have recommended effective steps to restore a cost-effective and environment-friendly maritime communication system. Discussants demanded formulation of a long-term plan for restoring and maintaining the waterways giving importance to the opinion of the people along the rivers.
