Bangladesh will highlight the pending Teesta water-sharing deal along with maximum utilisation of the Ganges water in the upcoming meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC), scheduled to be held in Delhi, India, on August 25.
Bangladesh is set to discuss 11 points in the meeting, which has been pending for 12 years, high-ups of the ministries of water resources and foreign affairs told the FE.
Apart from the Teesta deal and the Ganges water management, Bangladesh also wants to finalise an agreement on the joint water management of six other common rivers - the Monu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar.
Commenting on the issue, State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk said, "Since Bangladesh and India are enjoying the warmest bilateral ties in their history, we expect some kind of breakthrough regarding the pending Teesta water sharing agreement in the upcoming JRC."
"We hope that we will get some kind of deal on the Teesta this time, as it will help strengthen our ties further."
When asked whether expecting a deal would be realistic or not - as it has been opposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee since the beginning, the state minister said it is the responsibility of the Indian central government to convince the state government, so that a deal can be inked.
This long-pending water sharing deal is crucial for thousands of farmers of the Teesta basin, he noted.
On the issue of joint management of the six common rivers, the state minister said, "We have completed exchanging information on these rivers. We hope that we can reach (at signing) some kind of deal on the rivers."
"But we also want to start the survey on six other rivers, as the survey on the six rivers is completed."
By doing this, both the countries can advance their works on the 54 joint rivers, Mr Zahid Faruk opined.
But he pointed out that Bangladesh did not get information on the river protection works - carried out by India in the upstream of the common rivers.
"We've sought the information, but haven't got. This is very important, as such works in the upstream can cause erosion in the downstream."
About the Ganges water sharing, the state minister said since the landmark Ganges water sharing deal would be expired after four years, there is a need to renew the agreement.
"We will request the Indian side to start preparatory works in this regard."
Apart from this, both the countries need maximum utilisation of the Ganges water, and Bangladesh will propose starting a joint project on it.
Another key issue will be to get no objection from India on dredging the Kushiyara River, from where Bangladesh wants to withdraw 153 cusec of water on the Indo-Bangladesh border near Jakiganj, he mentioned.
Bangladesh has a water pump to withdraw water from the river for irrigation of 5,000 hectares of land.
"We took an attempt to start the dredging to activate the pump to withdraw water, but the Indian side objected. We hope to reach an agreement with India on this issue, so that we can start the dredging."
Bangladesh has already agreed to provide India water from the Feni River to ensure smooth supply of drinking water to people of Tripura.
Bangladesh always shows its open-mindedness in resolving pending issues with its neighbour, he added.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com
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