Bangladesh has finalised the details of a Memorandum of Understanding of Kushiyara river water distribution with India.
The countries officially reached an understanding at a meeting of the Joint River Commission in New Delhi, a statement from the High Commission of India in Dhaka said on Thursday, but India still limited itself to assurances when the Teesta river issue was raised, reports bdnews24.com.
The foreign ministry of Bangladesh said the country’s delegation requested their Indian counterpart to swiftly sign the Teesta water-sharing deal, which has been stuck for a long time due to the opposition of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Indian side said they were trying their best for the signing of the deal, according to a foreign ministry statement.
The meeting also finalised mapping the distribution of water from Feni to Tripura’s Sabroom in light of a 2019 MoU.
It was the first time a JRC ministerial-level meeting was held between the neighbouring nations in 12 years.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk and his Indian counterpart Gajendra Singh Shekhawat led their delegations in the meeting.
The meeting also discussed the exchange of information on floods, preventing river pollution and preserving river banks, among other matters. The MoU might be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India, according to foreign ministry officials.