Dhaka, June 28 -- As upstream water diversion by India worsens ecological damage in Bangladesh, speakers at an international conference on Saturday urged the government to push for fair trans-boundary river management and assert its voice in regional and global forums.

The conference, held at the Cirdap auditorium under the title 'Disputes over Water: Addressing Ecological Disasters Faced in Bangladesh', brought together experts, activists and policymakers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Canada and the United States.

They stressed that ecological disasters caused by unilateral water diversions of the 54 common rivers flowing from India are wreaking havoc on Bangladesh's environment, agriculture, fisheries, navigation, industry, forestry,...