Indo-Bangladesh river panel to meet today
New Delhi, August 24
The much-awaited meeting of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) will be held on Thursday after 12 years.
Crucial for the electoral fortunes of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina in the parliamentary poll next year after parts of Bangladesh were battered by floods from common rivers flowing from India, water sharing of the Teesta river will be under intense negotiations as will be the effort to wrap up negotiations on six trans-boundary rivers. Hasina is scheduled to visit India in September.
Pact on water withdrawal on cards
- Commission will most likely finalise an MoU on withdrawal of water from Kushiyara river for irrigation
- Finalisation of pacts on Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Dudhkumar rivers on cards
Crucial for Bangla PM
Considered crucial for Sheikh Hasina ahead of poll next year, water sharing of Teesta will be under intense negotiations
With Sylhet and Rangpur hit hard by floods this year too, questions are being raised in Bangladesh that why, despite proximity with India, Hasina has been unable to broach the issue of floods during monsoon and decreased flows that affect navigation and agriculture in dry season.
With this issue in view, the JRC will discuss exchange of increased flood forecast data for effective warning, especially in the Sylhet and Rangpur regions.
The JRC secretary-level meeting will be held on Tuesday to finalise the agenda for the minister-level meeting. The ministerial-level meetings will be co-chaired by Ministers for Water Resources Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Zaheed Farooque, respectively.
Both sides had finalised the Teesta Agreement in 2011, but India withdrew the same after objections were raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The commission will most likely finalise a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on withdrawal of water from Kushiyara river for irrigation. The finalisation of pacts on six common rivers between the two countries — Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar — is also on the cards.
The Bangladesh side has said it would also raise concerns about the unilateral withdrawal of waters from the trans-boundary rivers upstream in India, the falling water flow of the Mahananda river and the flow of industrial wastes into Bangladesh through the Akhaura bordering area, polluting water bodies in Brahmanbaria.
