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JRC to discuss sharing of Teesta waters April 10

By M Anwarul Haq
A three-day meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) begins in Dhaka on April 10 to take up the issue of permanent sharing of the Teesta waters and review the Ganges accord, official sources said yesterday.
Indian Minister for Water Resources Janeshwar Mishra will arrive in the city on April 9 at the head of a five-member Indian delegation. The Bangladesh side at the JRC meet will be led by Water Resources Minister Abdur Razzak.
Besides reviewing the progress of the Ganges accord, the meeting will also discuss flood manegqnuMrt^ problems of cross-border rivers, irrigation and water related issues.
Bangladesh and India share 54 common rivers, of which ac-
By M Anwarui Haq
cord on only the Ganges was reached in December last.
Water Resources Ministry sources said that talks on finding a permanent water sharing formula for the Teesta river would be the main focus of the JRC talks against the background of both countries having constructed barrages on the river.
A permanent agreement with India for sharing of the Teesta waters would allow unhindered and optimum use of the Teesta barrage.
Bangladesh had taken up the Teesta barrage project in 1979 and completed it in 1989. The .•.project was implemented.-at a • cost of Tk 15,000 crore, alniost entirely without donor support. However, assistance of 30 million dollars from Saudi Fund
for development and 10 million dollars from Islamic Development Bank were received.
The 4.500 km long canal network system, planned along with the barrage for supply of irrigation water to the crop fields, is the largest irrigation project in the country.
At the upcoming meeting of the JRC. Bangladesh will seek India's participation in the construction of the proposed Ganges Barrage. India's assurance in this regard was already given in the last meeting of the Joint Economic Commission held in New Delhi from March 10 to 12. .
; B.esid?§ the. water, resources , ministers of the two countries who would co-chair the JRC meeting, it would be participated by permanent members oi the JRC from the two sides, water experts and representatives of the water resources and foreign ministers of the two countries.
An ithportaht item on the agenda of the meet would be to review progress of the IndoBangladesh accord on the Ganges. The meeting would also discuss the progress made and the problems encountered since the signing of the accord.
A detailed report is expected to be presented at the meet by the Bangladesh-India Joint Committee (JC) for water monitoring set up after the signing of the water treaty and which started functioning from January 1. The JRC will review the data of water availability at Farakka and the discharge made from Farakka point vis-a-vis the treaty. Reports of water availability from four observation points — the Farakka point, the Feeder canal, the Navigation lock and the Hardinge Bridge — would be reviewed, sources concerned indicated.
This would be the 32nd meeting of the JRC. a forum set up in 1972 for discussions and consultations on water-related issues between Bangladesh and India. The last ministerial-level meeting of the JRC was held in Dhaka in June 1990.
The decision to reactivate the JRC was announced in Dhaka on January 6 following official talks between Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart HD Deve Gowda.
At the end of the JRC meeting. the two sides are likely to make an official announcement on the outcome of the talks and also make a statement relating to the actual progress of the Ganges water sharing accord, based on review of the monitored data received till the end of March.