New Delhi: Bangladesh Chief Advisor Prof Mohammad Yunus on Thursday met Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pranay Verma in a meeting that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said was a 'normal call' and that the use of 'summon' is an attempt at disinformation.
The request for a call with Chief Advisor Yunus was lodged several days ago and confirmed before events related to “floods”. Any official backing of such misplaced narratives is unhelpful to bilateral ties. The use of "summon" is an attempt at disinformation", said the Ministry of External Affairs.
The meeting came a few minutes after Prof Yunus met his senior colleagues over the unprecedented floods in the eastern districts of Bangladesh that his administration has blamed on India releasing water from Tripura without early warning. Earlier today, India refuted Bangladesh's accusation that India was responsible for causing floods in eight districts of Bangladesh. The MEA stated, "This is factually incorrect."
In a statement, the MEA addressed the concerns expressed by Bangladesh regarding the flooding in districts on the eastern borders of Bangladesh, asserting that the floods were not caused by the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura. The MEA emphasised that this claim is factually incorrect.
Amid the ongoing situation in Bangladesh, students of Jagannath University blamed India for the floods and organised a protest march, alleging that the floods occurred after India opened the sluice gates of the Dumboor and Gazaldoba dams without informing Dhaka. The MEA countered these allegations by pointing out that the catchment areas of the Gumti River, which flows through India and Bangladesh, experienced heavy rainfall over the last few days, leading to floods in Bangladesh. The MEA clarified that the flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam.
The Dumbur dam is located over 120 km upstream of Bangladesh and is a low-height dam (approximately 30m) that generates power feeding into a grid from which Bangladesh also draws 40MW of power from Tripura. Along the approximately 120 km river course, there are three water level observation sites at Amarpur, Sonamura, and Sonamura 2.
Heavy rainfall has been ongoing since August 21 in Tripura and adjoining districts of Bangladesh. In the event of heavy inflow, automatic releases have been observed. The Amarpur station is part of a bilateral protocol, through which real-time flood data is transmitted to Bangladesh.
Data showing a rising trend was provided to Bangladesh up to 1500 hrs on August 21, 2024. At 1800 hrs, due to flooding, there was a power outage, leading to communication problems. Nevertheless, efforts were made to maintain communication through alternative means created for urgent data transmission.
"As two countries sharing 54 common cross-border rivers, river water cooperation is an important part of our bilateral engagement. We remain committed to resolving issues and mutual concerns in water resources and river water management through bilateral consultations and technical discussions," stated the MEA.
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