India, Bangladesh held water resources secretary level meeting

The India-Bangladesh Water Resources Secretary-level meeting took place on March 16, 2021, under the framework of the Joint Rivers Commission.

During the meeting, the Indian delegation was led by Pankaj Kumar, Water Resources Secretary while Bangladesh Delegation was led by Senior Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources Kabir Bin Anwar.

The meeting between the ministries took place ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bangladesh on March 26, 2021. During the top officials' meeting, the two sides discussed sharing the water of Muhuri, Manu, Khowai, Dudhkumar, Gumti, and Dharla rivers.

Both sides have also agreed to schedule the next Secretary Level meeting under the JRC framework at Dhaka.

Key Highlights:

• The officials of the water resources ministries noted that both the countries share 54 common rivers which have a direct impact on the livelihood of people of the two neighbouring countries.

• They also highlighted the close cooperation that exists between Bangladesh and India in the matter.

• The discussion was also held on the issues related to flood forecasting and river water sharing as well as to enhance cooperation on controlling the pollution in trans boundary water bodies.

• Both the countries agreed to expand cooperation across an entire gamut of issues related to water resources including mitigation of pollution, flood management, riverbank protection, and basin management among others. A Joint Technical Working Group will be providing inputs on the matter.

Water issues between India and Bangladesh:

India and Bangladesh have created a robust mechanism for addressing water issues between both nations at different levels.

An Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission- JRC has been operating since 1972. The commission was established with a view of maintaining liaison in order to ensure the most effective joint effort in maximizing the benefits from the river systems.