NEW DELHI: Ahead of Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s visit, the Indian government on Friday said that the two countries have finalised the text of the MoU on interim sharing of Kushiyara river water. This followed the 38th meeting of the ministerial-level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of India and Bangladesh here this week.
The meeting was significant 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, according to the Indian government. The meeting was preceded by water resources secretary-level interaction on Tuesday (August 23).
Discussions during this meeting were held on a number of ongoing bilateral issues of mutual interest, including sharing of water of common rivers, sharing of flood data, addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation management, river bank protection works, etc.
“Both sides also 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,” said the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which seven rivers have been identified earlier for developing framework of water-sharing agreements on priority.