India and Bangladesh have finalised the text of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river and welcomed finalization of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni River to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 India -Bangladesh MoU on this subject.
These developments took place here during the 38th Meeting of Ministerial-level Joint Rivers Commission of the two countries on Thursday, the ministry of external affairs said on Friday. The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Zaheed Farooque, State Minister for Water Resources led the Bangladesh side.
India and Bangladesh reviewed the process of river water sharing of common rivers, sharing of flood data, addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation management and river bank protection during the meeting.
The meeting assumes significance as it was held after a long gap of 12 years, though the technical interactions under the framework of Joint Rivers Commission(JRC) have continued in the intervening period. The meeting was preceded by Water Resources Secretary-level interaction on August 23, 2022.
Incidentally, the meeting on rivers took place days ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposed visit to New Delhi in September. She will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues ranging from defence to trade and connectivity. The two leaders may also ink the pact on water sharing of Kushiyara river.
As regards the current meeting, the ministry of external affairs said, one of the important areas of cooperation, where India has been assisting Bangladesh, is sharing of real time flood data. India has recently extended the period of flood data sharing beyond 15 October to help Bangladesh address unforeseen flood events.
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven rivers have been identified earlier for developing framework of water sharing agreements on priority.
During the meeting, it has been agreed to widen this area of ongoing cooperation by including eight more rivers for data exchange.
The matter will be further discussed at the Technical Level Committee of JRC.
The Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh was constituted in the year 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common rivers.