Bangladesh delegation visits India to discuss sharing of water resources

A technical delegation from Bangladesh went to Kolkata on Monday to discuss the sharing of water resources between Bangladesh and India, officials said.

They said the 12-member Bangladesh delegation, led by Muhammad Abul Hossen, a member of the Joint River Commission (JRC), is expected to observe the flow of the Ganges at Farakka until March 5 morning.

Thereafter, the delegation is set to return to Kolkata for a two-day meeting, under the aegis of the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Kolkata on March 6-7, The Daily Star reported.

“After the Farakka site visit, there will be two meetings between Bangladesh and India. One meeting will discuss the implementation of the Ganges Agreement, and the other meeting will discuss various technical issues of the common rivers,” Kazi Shahidur Rahman, Executive Engineer of JRC, told ANI over the phone.

“The delegation will return to Dhaka on March 8,” he added.

The Ganges is one of the 54 rivers shared by India and Bangladesh. Long-standing differences over its water sharing were resolved with the signing of the Ganges Water Treaty on December 12, 1996, by then-Indian Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his then-Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

The Treaty was to remain in force for a period of 30 years and was renewable by mutual consent. For monitoring the implementation of the Treaty, a Joint Committee was set up, as per the Department of Water Resources.

The treaty is due for renewal in 2026. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to play a crucial role in the efforts to renew the Ganges water-sharing treaty.

Banerjee continues to oppose the Teesta River water sharing treaty despite India and Bangladesh agreeing on its text in 2011.

Notably, a system of transmission of flood forecasting data exists on major rivers like Ganga, Teesta, Brahmputra and Barak during the monsoon season from India to Bangladesh.

The transmission of flood forecasting information during the monsoon has enabled the civil and military authorities in Bangladesh to shift the population affected by floods to safer places, as stated by the ministry.