Indian government has already confirmed schedule for the four-day talks, officials in the water resource ministry said yesterday.

"The eighth meeting of the joint committee of experts is going to take place from August 7 to 10 in New Delhi. We got their (India) official letter regarding the meeting on Wednesday," Water Resources Secretary Syed Mohammad Zobaer told The Daily Star yesterday.

In the last three years, no meeting of the JCE headed by water resource secretaries of the two countries was held and its seventh meeting in September 2004 in Dhaka left many issues unresolved.

"We do not have any mandatory time for our meeting but the more we meet the more we would be able to solve the problems. For several reasons, we could not meet in last three years," a JCE member said yesterday.

The JCE is assigned to review the flows of seven major common rivers, including the Monu, Dholai, Khowai, Dudhkumar, Feni, Matamuhuri and Dharla out of the 52 flowing through both the countries. The committee also has to make recommendations for sharing of waters of those rivers.

The Delhi meeting would also discuss other issues relating to the common rivers.

"Building protection embankments along different bordering rivers at 40 points in India and 29 points in Bangladesh has remained stalled for years. We would also discuss the issue," said Jobaer.

The Indian side is interested to talk dredging of the Ichhamati river in their territory, he said. "So, we would also start discussing the issue."

A JCE member said the upcoming talks would focus mainly on striking an interim agreement on the Teesta water sharing. "But before the talks start in August, more developments might take place," he added.

In September 2004, the JCE meet ended with many issues unresolved as it failed to settle a five-year deal on the Teesta river, a major river in the northern region of Bangladesh, that gets dry severely during the lean period greatly harming the country's agricultural production.

Sources said at that meeting, Dhaka proposed equal share of 80 per cent of the Teesta waters, preserving the rest 20 per cent as natural flow of the river. But New Delhi insisted on sharing the waters at a ratio of 39 per cent and 36 per cent for India and Bangladesh respectively.

The Indian side proposed keeping only 10 per cent of the Teesta waters for its natural flow and sharing 15 per cent in proportion to the command areas in Indian and Bangladesh territories, sources said.

The water resources secretary, who would lead the Bangladesh side at the upcoming meet, said composition of the delegation is yet to be finalised.

His indian counterpart Gowri Chatterjee would lead his side.