Ahead of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s expected visit to India early next month, India has extended the period of flood data sharing with the neighbouring country beyond 15 October to help Dhaka address unforeseen flood events.
The decision was announced after the 38th meeting of the ministerial-level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of India and Bangladesh which was held in New Delhi yesterday.
The Indian delegation was led by Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat while the Bangladesh delegation was headed by State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque.
The meeting assumes significance as it was held after a long gap of 12 years though technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the intervening period. It comes about a fortnight before Sheikh Hasina visits New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was preceded by the water resources secretary-level interaction on Tuesday.
The discussions during this bilateral meeting were held on a number of ongoing bilateral issues of mutual interest including river water sharing of common rivers, sharing of flood data, addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation management, river bank protection works, etc.
Both sides finalised the text of the MoU on interim water sharing of Kushiyara River. Both sides also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of the 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.
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which 7 rivers have been identified earlier for developing the framework of water sharing agreements on priority. During the meeting, it has been agreed to widen this area of ongoing cooperation by including 8 more rivers for data exchange. The matter will be further discussed at the technical level committee of JRC.
The JRC of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common/border/transboundary rivers.