38th Ministerial Meeting of India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission

Tags: International Relations Important Days

The 38th Ministerial Meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission was held in New Delhi on August 25, 2022.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• The Indian delegation was chaired by Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Bangladesh delegation was led by Minister of State for Water Resources Zaheed Farooq.

• The two countries discussed a wide range of issues related to Ganga, Teesta and several smaller rivers during the meeting.

• The two sides also discussed the exchange of data and information related to floods, river-bank conservation works, general basin management and India's river interlinking project.

• Bangladesh requested for the early completion of the long pending Teesta water sharing treaty.

• Both sides also finalised a draft Memorandum of Understanding to share the waters of the Kushiyara River on an interim basis.

• Both sides welcomed the finalization of the design of the Feni River Water Drawing Site and its technical infrastructure to meet the drinking water requirements of Sabroom Town in Tripura.

• It is noteworthy that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two countries in this regard in October 2019.

• This meeting was held after a gap of 12 years

Rivers between India and Bangladesh :

• India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers.

• All are part of the drainage system of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin.

• The Padma (Ganga), Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and Meghna (Barak) and their tributaries play an important role in maintaining food and water security in Bangladesh.

• The dispute between India and Bangladesh regarding water resource allocation dates back to the time when Bangladesh was East Pakistan.

• In 1961, India began construction of the Farakka Barrage which was to be operational by April 1975.

• When India began its preliminary planning for the project, Pakistan expressed concerns over the potential effect of the project on East Pakistan.

Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) :

• It was constituted in 1972 between India and Bngladesh.

• It is a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common / border / transboundary rivers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

About Kushiyara River :

• It is a distributary river in Bangladesh and Assam.

• The water of Kushiyara drains into tributaries from Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.