Fishermen held a demonstration in the city on Tuesday against India’s controversial Tipaimukh dam saying it would adversely affect livelihoods and life of over three lakh fishermen in Bangladesh’s north-eastern districts. Speaking at a rally in front of the National Press Club fishermen’s leaders said that at least 10 rivers in Bangladesh including the Surma, Kushiyara and Meghna would dry up causing gradual desertification in the northeastern districts of lower riparian Bangladesh. They said it would directly affect the life and livelihood of the country’s fishermen. They said that shortage of water for irrigation could endanger the crucial robi crops to affect the country’s food security. Bangladesh Khudra Matshajibi Samity organized the rally. Earlier, Farakka barrage deprived the livelihoods of over 2.5 lakh fishermen in 16 southern districts of the country, said the samity general secretary Anwar Hossain Sikder. He asked the government to take up the issue so that India abandoned its Tipaimukh dam construction. He also asked the government to ensure Bangladesh’s due share of water in common rivers. Anwar also demanded leasing water bodies to fishermen, providing them with identity cards immediately, ending piracy in the bay and rehabilitation of fishermen dislodged by Sidor and Aila. He said that the fishermen would hold, in April, a demonstration at Jokigang where the river Borak enters into Bangladesh after splitting into Surma and Kushiyara rivers unless the government met their demands in two months. He said that the fishermen would stop fish supply in the country unless the government met the demands by May. Chaired by the Samity executive president Matilal Das, the rally was also addressed by Faridul Islam from Rajshahi, Abdul Motaleb from Jamalpur, Manik Lal Dhar from Hobiganj, Sarwar Hossain from Barisal, Nazim Uddin from Bhola and Ananda Chandra Barman from Munshiganj.