Bangladesh's Interim Government Ready To Hold Talks With India On River Sharing

DHAKA: Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the advisor on environment and water resources in the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh, said on Wednesday that Dhaka will engage in discussions with New Delhi regarding shared rivers, including the Teesta.

"Just as West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee considers her own people's interests, we will also take into account the needs of our people when making decisions about the Teesta project," the Dhaka Tribune quoted Hasan as saying during a media briefing on Wednesday.

"The interim government may approach the international stage, if necessary, while maintaining friendly relations with India," she added.

Hasan told reporters that the interim government will start working on the issue after taking into consideration the opinion of people living along the Teesta river. The advisor made the comments following a meeting with Abdoulaye Seck, the World Bank's Country Director for Bangladesh, at the ministry's office.

A lawyer and environmentalist, Hasan is also the chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA).

The 'India-Bangladesh Shared Vision for Future: Enhancing Connectivity, Commerce and Collaboration for Shared Prosperity' released on June 22 this year during the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit had recognized the importance of water resource management in bilateral relationship.

"We will continue to engage in prioritizing the exchange of data and formulating the framework for interim water sharing based on the recommendations of the Joint Rivers Commission. We welcome the formation of a Joint Technical Committee to initiate discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty of 1996. As part of our development cooperation, we will also undertake conservation and management of Teesta River inside Bangladesh with Indian assistance within a mutually agreed time frame," the document mentioned.

India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, of which 7 rivers were identified for developing the framework of water sharing agreements on priority.

The Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) of India and Bangladesh was constituted in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common/border/transboundary rivers.

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