Bangladesh, India finalise MoU text for Kushiyara water-sharing
Bangladesh and India have finalised the text of MoU on interim water sharing of the Kushiya River during the 38th ministerial level meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission.
Both sides also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni River to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura at the meeting held in New Delhi on 25 August 2022, reads a press release from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian delegation was led by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, union minister for Jal Shakti while the Bangladesh delegation was led by Zaheed Farooque, state minister for Water Resources. AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, deputy minister for Water Resources was also part of the Bangladesh delegation.
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The meeting, held after a long gap of 12 years, was preceded by Water Resources Secretary-level interaction on 23 August 2022.
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.
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, added the press release.
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven 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, added the release.
The Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common / border / transboundary rivers.
