Agartala (Tripura): Bilateral issues for mutual cooperation got a boost with India and Bangladesh finalizing the text of an agreement on interim sharing of the water of the Kushiyara river. The delegations of both countries welcomed the finalization of the design and location of the water intake points on the Feni River to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura’s south district, which shares an international border with the neighboring county.
The text of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was finalized at the 38th ministerial-level meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) that took place in Delhi on Thursday, a release by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, led the Indian delegation while the Bangladesh delegation was led by Zaheed Farooque, State Minister for Water Resources. AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, Deputy Minister for Water Resources, was also part of the Bangladesh delegation.
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The meeting assumes significance as it was held after a long gap of 12 years, though the technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the intervening period. The meeting was preceded by Water Resources Secretary-level interaction on 23rd August 2022.
Discussions were held on a number of ongoing bilateral issues of mutual interest including river water sharing of common rivers, sharing of flood data, addressing river pollution, conducting joint studies on sedimentation management, river bank protection works, etc.
“Both sides finalized the text of MoU on Interim Water Sharing of Kushiyara river. Both sides also welcomed the finalization of the design and location of the water intake point on the Feni River to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 India -Bangladesh MoU on this subject”, according to an official press statement.
The discussions also touched upon issues related to the common rivers between the two countries especially the Ganges, Teesta, and Dudhkumar of West Bengal, Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti of Tripura and Dharla, and Kushiyara of Assam.
