JRC meeting: No Teesta, but border river pollution in discussion
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Photo: Collected
Dhaka: The issue of Teesta water sharing did not figure in the two-day meeting of the Technical Expert Committee under the supervision of the Joint River Commission (JRC) of Bangladesh and India on the Ganga-Padma Water Sharing Agreement.
The members of the Bangladesh delegation returned home on Saturday after the meeting held on Friday.
According to the news published in the press, citing diplomatic sources from both countries, there was no discussion on the Teesta water sharing between Bangladesh and India in the River Commission meeting this time. However, pollution was discussed in the meeting. Indian representatives said in the meeting that pollution is increasing due to the presence of sugar mills along several rivers in Bangladesh and that pollution is spreading to some areas bordering West Bengal. Bangladesh representatives have assured to look into the matter.
According to the news published, although there was a discussion on the water sharing of Teesta and Ganga in the tripartite meeting held in Kolkata on March 6 and 7, no discussion was held on Teesta in the end. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Indian central government, the secretary of the irrigation and manpower department of the West Bengal government, and a delegation from Bangladesh.
An 11-member delegation led by Bangladesh River Commission (JRC) member Muhammad Abul Hossain visited the Farakka Barrage before joining the meeting. The delegation mentioned in the meeting that water levels in some rivers in Bangladesh are decreasing due to the dams on the Mahananda River. However, the West Bengal government said that the flow of the Mahananda is inward within the state and if the flow changes, it will affect the state and not Bangladesh. It has been assured to look into the matter.
The 30-year Ganga-Padma Water Treaty will expire in December next year. It is important to renew the treaty before then. Those concerned said that various aspects of water sharing were discussed in the joint meeting in Kolkata on Thursday and Friday. A committee is being formed to determine the water sharing calculation for the treaty. Issues related to early warning and flood forecasting regarding water release during the monsoon were also discussed in the meeting.
It is learnt that the two countries will submit the decisions of the meeting held in Kolkata to their respective ministries. Based on that, discussions on the renewal of the water sharing agreement will begin in the plenary meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission in the coming days.