Dhaka, Oct. 13 -- Highlighting the country's deep-rooted connection with rivers, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said "for Bangladesh, rivers are not just rivers - they are our lifeblood."

She also called for equitable and cooperative management of shared water resources while addressing the 1st Session of the 6th Joint Meeting of the Working Groups on Integrated Water Resources Management and Monitoring & Assessment of the UN Water Convention, held in Switzerland's Geneva on Monday.

Bangladesh, she noted, is the world's largest river delta-formed by the Ganges-Padma, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Surma-Meghna basins-with over 90 percent of its surface water originating from beyond its borders.

As a lower riparian country, Bangladesh...