Agreement on Teesta Water Sharing
Interests protected in draft
Says state minister
The government has finalised the draft of the agreement on water sharing of the Teesta river with neighbouring India with Bangladesh's interests "adequately protected", State Minister for Water Resources Mahbubur Rahman said yesterday.
The agreement may be signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh at the end of this year, he said. "...And the government is very much conscious to protect the country's interests in the agreement".
Mahbubur Rahman was talking to reporters after the inaugural session of Regional Water Expert Group Workshop organised by the environment and forests ministry at a city hotel yesterday.
Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh will raise voice for its "just share" in the trans-boundary rivers during the upcoming Climate Summit-2011 to be held in Bhutan this November.
About ongoing bargaining with India on water sharing, he said, "Now we have had political understanding and better cooperation between us. Equitable water availability is necessary for both of us. We hope to reach a consensus over the issue."
In the Bhutan summit, Bangladesh will talk about necessary measures so that water-sharing activities of one country do not inflict loss on the other.
Presenting the keynote paper, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman said 92 percent of the total water of the Ganges, Meghna and Brahmaputra rivers flow over the country into the Bay of Bengal, causing excessive flood and massive siltation.
So effective plan should be charted for total river basin management of this region, he added.
Prior to the Bhutan Climate Summit-2011, four eastern Himalayan countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal jointly launched the two-day workshop yesterday to develop an eastern Himalayan regional roadmap on water security.
Environment and Forests Secretary Mesbah ul Alam chaired the inaugural session attended by representatives from the countries.
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