Environmental, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan has warned that many river-based infrastructure projects are inflicting irreversible environmental damage by ignoring rivers as living systems. Speaking virtually at a sub-regional workshop on ‘Water and Climate Resilience in the Hindu Kush Himalaya’ held in Kathmandu, she highlighted that despite having policies and institutions, implementation gaps remain a major obstacle in South Asia. Rizwana emphasized the need for fair water sharing, river rights, and disaster risk management among Himalayan countries. She noted that 90% of Bangladesh’s rivers originate upstream, making the nation highly vulnerable to transboundary impacts such as floods, droughts, and salinity. Citing Bangladesh’s accession to the UN Water Convention, she called for stronger cooperation in data sharing and early warning systems. Rizwana also praised Nepal’s river restoration efforts and stressed that rivers are living entities whose rights must be protected through accountability and regional trust-based hydropower collaboration.