Bangladesh to hold talks with India over sharing of water

PTI Dhaka: Bangladesh will soon take steps to hold negotiations with India over the sharing of water of transboundary rivers, an adviser of the interim government said on Wednesday. India and Bangladesh were set to sign a deal on Teesta water sharing during then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011, but West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to endorse it, citing a scarcity of water in her state. Speaking at a seminar titled 'Bangladesh's Fair Share of Water in Shared Rivers' here, Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said Bangladesh would soon take steps to hold negotiations with India over the sharing of water from transboundary rivers, state-run BSS news agency reported.

She said that the negotiations will be held after considering public opinion and the outcomes of the talks will be shared with the people. Rizwana said although the water sharing of international rivers is a complex issue, the exchange of essential information should not be a political one. One country can want the rainfall data and location of structures in rivers and the data exchange can help prevent harm to lives and properties, she added. Rizwana, also environment, forest and climate change adviser, said a country cannot go to the international court unilaterally on such issues but both nations must go to it. "Sharing rainfall data is a humanitarian issue. Necessary data should be given to save lives. Bangladesh's claims will be made clearly and strongly," she was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The adviser stressed protecting the country's internal rivers, describing those as living entities that must be collectively saved. Earlier this month, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said that the interim government would pursue ways to resolve the differences with India over the long-pending Teesta watersharing treaty. "By sitting over this issue (water sharing), it is not serving any purpose. If I know how much water I will get, even if I am not happy and sign it, it would be better. This issue has to be resolved, he said.