Hasina, Modi urged to settle river issues

Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, International Farakka Co-mmittee (IFC) urged on Saturday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Modi to mutually settle the river-sharing issues, reports UNB.
"We believe the meeting between Sheikh Hasina, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ensure environmental flows of common rivers in the light of the 2,000 Millennium Declaration of the UN and the spirit of the Saarc on the basis of mutual respect and regional cooperation," the IFC said in a statement.
IFC, an environmental organisation working as international water rights watch group, hoped that treaties with guarantee and arbitration clauses will be signed for sharing of the Teesta water ensuring the due share of Bangladesh in the same spirit of the Land Boundary Agreement.
"We believe India will abandon the Tipaimukh project, new dams on the Ganges and the inter-basin water transfer as promised earlier by the Prime Minister of India. It's also essential that all water-sharing arrangements between riparian countries include clauses ensuring continuous data sharing of water flows," the statement said.
It said they believe countries of the Himalayan region-Bangladesh, India, China, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan-will collectively pursue the development and prosperity of the peoples through integrated management of Himalayan Rivers and face the threat of climate change.